His Gaze Denotes Love
by AngelicConquistador
Summary: The great charismatic leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, is admired and respected by many. Sam is no exception, but he finds that his feelings are changing with events over time bringing the leader closer to him. Optimus/Sam
1. September

**AC**: It's awful. XD I'd like to say I don't ship this pairing at all… but after despairing on the fact that there's only like two fanfics with OP/Sam, and reading those fanfics, turned me into a total fan. I still love Bee/Sam more though… and I still have to finish the first chapter of my Bee/Sam fic. X'D

**Dedication**: anyone who happens to like this.

**Disclaimer**- If you think I own Transformers, you're sadly mistaken. I'm just a poor college student who loves writing fanfiction in my spare time because I don't have enough inspiration to write a proper novel.

**Summary**: The great charismatic leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, is admired and respected by many. Sam is no exception, but he finds that his feelings are changing with events over time bringing the leader closer to him. Optimus/Sam

**Note**: This takes place after _Revenge of the Fallen_, as in a few weeks later, which means there WILL BE SPOILERS. All characters are of legal age. This will be at least 12 chapters long. Also, this is unbetaed. I don't have a beta, though if anyone would like me to beta their stories, or beta mine, that would be appreciated~!

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter One: September**

"Speech"

'Thought'

In the month of September, with Sam at his dormitory-

Normal **P**oint **o**f **V**iew

Sam had just finished the last bit of his astronomy homework when he'd gotten an unexpected call. He wondered who it could be from, because he'd already spoken to Mikaela earlier that day, his parents weren't going to call until Saturday afternoon, and it was only a Tuesday night. Leo wasn't there, but rather chatting up some of the freshman girls in the dorm. The glow of the dying sun reached in between the shades on the window, highlighting his bed, where his phone lay. He had been over in another chair, putting away his homework in his bag. The insistent rings from his phone made him walk over (after some difficulty, his crutches were by the bed too) and he looked at the caller ID on his phone. There was no number, not even a name, but it was still ringing. Confused, he picked it up and opened it anyway.

"Hello?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Hello Sam." The deep voice that graced Sam's ears could only belong to one Autobot, and that was Optimus Prime. Despite his shock, Sam sank onto the bed and cradled the phone between his uninjured hand and his right ear as he was tempted to look out the window for any sign of the Peterbilt truck.

"Optimus? How did you get my- never mind that, how are you?" He figured Bumblebee or Mikaela gave Optimus his phone number, so he decided to be polite and inquire about his wellbeing. It had only been about three weeks since Egypt, and while the wrappings on Sam's hand hadn't yet come off. He was scheduled to go to the doctor this weekend, which is why his parents would talk to him then. He was sure that while he still had his injuries (he had a profound limp, coming from his sprained ankle), he wondered if the Autobot was healed from then. At the very least, he could have gotten a new coat of paint since he was all scratched up before.

"I am fine, Sam. I connected through the satellite signal in order to call your phone, as I thought it would be more inconspicuous this way. Thanks to your work, Ratchet only had to do some minor repairs." He responded.

"Oh. Um. Well, it was fine, I mean, I'm glad you're doing well," Sam babbled, feeling slightly nervous and unsure of what exactly to say. Even by the power of voice alone, Optimus sounded commanding and leader-like. He half-expected him to be somewhere nearby, because his presence could be felt even within a tiny device like his phone.

"How are you doing, Sam?" Optimus asked, feeling it was only polite to ask the nineteen-year-old as well.

"I'm doing okay, college is all right, though I could really do without that professor being an ass (calling me Professor Einstein and all), the cast comes off my ankle in about three weeks, and I see the doctor this weekend… Mom and dad can't make it, because they're still finishing up their vay-cay in France and all, but it'll be fine…" Sam about to say more, but Optimus abruptly cut him off.

"You're still injured?" The Autobot sounded kind of sad, yet surprised in a naïve way.

"Yes, but it's totally fine. We humans take a while to heal from certain injuries, you know? It's to be expected, though the doctor will be able to tell me if I'm going to get anything taken off early or not."

There was silence for about ten seconds before Optimus said, "And you'll be alone?"

"Well not completely, I mean Bee will take me there, but inside the clinic I will be. I am old enough to do this alone." However, he hadn't really wanted to go in there by himself, to be honest. He hated getting poked and prodded with needles and other sorts of medical equipment, as he had gotten sick of it quickly immediately after the battle in Egypt, even if he wasn't awake half the time. His legs still ached some after all that running he did.

"Sam, if you would like, I shall accompany you there. It is my fault that you still sustain injuries, after all." Optimus bore a guilty tone to his voice, and Sam felt his heart beat painfully for a few seconds. He couldn't let his leader (why oh why did he say his? Optimus was the leader of the Autobots, and he wasn't an Autobot…) sound so sad, he'd have to reassure him in some way…

"Listen, Optimus, it's okay. The Primes said that was part of it anyway, it was my destiny to save you. I'm still alive, all right?"

That comment seemed to add more fuel to the fire, because Optimus said shortly, "Sam, if it weren't for the Primes bringing you back you would have been dead… and that would have been a terrible loss for all of us. If I had come back and you were dead…" The leader did not finish the sentence.

It was a good thing Sam was alone and not actually in front of Optimus, or the giant bot would have seen him blushing. He was touched. He'd always felt that while he'd been necessary in the fights against the Decepticons and the whole 'saving the world' deal time and again, that he wasn't exactly too important to the leader- just 'precious cargo' that constantly had to be protected. But open admission that he'd be missed by the great Autobot leader… it made him feel warm and tingly inside, which confused him, seeing as he'd only ever connected that feeling to Mikaela. It troubled him somewhat, but he'd ponder it later.

"Optimus… if it will really make you feel better, then you can come with me on Saturday. I don't have any classes, but I do have to be there by 10 AM. Do you think you can get here by nine AM?" Sam asked.

"I shall be there on time outside the campus." His normal tone was back, he didn't sound quite so sad anymore, which definitely made Sam feel better as well. Unfortunately, he was getting tired, and he couldn't stop himself from yawning.

The Autobot heard that clearly. With an amused chuckle, Optimus said, "you should go to bed now Sam, it sounds like you could use some recharging."

"All right then. So I guess I will see you Saturday morning then?" Sam yawned again while lying on his bed, relaxing.

"Yes. I will be waiting for you. Once we arrive at the clinic, I'll activate my holographic form. Will that work?"

Sam had never seen Optimus's holographic form before so he was really curious. Just exactly _what_ would his form look like? "I suppose… it can walk away from your body and everything?" He yawned once more.

"I am capable of doing all that and more. Enough now Sam, your body needs to recharge."

"Mmm, I s'pose you're right. Goodnight Optimus," he said.

"Goodnight, Sam. Sleep well." Optimus ended the conversation, and now Sam, who had been so focused on the phone, now found the whole room to be utterly empty and silent. There was no one but him in his room, and since he was finished speaking with Optimus, he felt… kind of lonely. He'd thought about calling Mikaela, but it was late, and somehow, he didn't think she could comfort him.

He had a difficult time trying to sleep that night.

* * *

It was eight in the morning on Saturday when Sam woke up, feeling somewhat groggy and yawned before grabbing his crutches and getting up. He saw that Leo was passed out in his bed on the other side of the room, proving that he'd managed to make it back to the dorm some time after Sam had fallen asleep the night before. He picked out some clothes before hobbling over to the dorm's showers, which was relatively empty- that frat party must have been something. Not that he really cared, he wasn't in the mood to go to one after that disastrous one he'd gone to while he was still seeing cybertronian symbols. The memories were still too fresh.

After showering (being careful of his cast and healing hand) and awkwardly dressing, he raided the small refrigerator they had in their room and found some cream cheese that he could spread on a bagel. He also drank some orange juice, feeling that having pop so early in the morning wouldn't be particularly good for him, no matter how tasty it was. He'd shoved a banana in his mouth when Leo woke up, and staring at Sam, he smirked and said sleepily,

"Nice bananas."

Sam ignored Leo (he just ended up falling back to sleep anyway), and continued to eat his banana. It was 8:40 AM and he needed to brush his teeth before heading outside the campus to meet Optimus. Sam was wearing some jeans, a short-sleeved tee shirt and a red sweatshirt, because the weather was turning chilly rather quickly this year, and his hair, as curly as it was, was already brushed (though he didn't think he really needed it). Swallowing the last chunks of banana, he set his dishes on a box (he'd have to wash them later) and brushed his teeth. Finally ready, he shakily made his way outside the dorm and on the grass, steadily heading towards the western parking lot.

Sure enough, when he made it, he saw the large blue and red big-rig with the flame decals and he knew Optimus wouldn't let him down. He smiled as the truck made a soft honking noise- Optimus had seen him.

When he got closer, he saw someone _get out _of driver's side of the Peterbilt truck, and he nearly stopped in his tracks. The appearance, the stance, the expression- the holographic form consisted of everything that was Optimus Prime… just without the robotic frame.

And though he'd always admired Optimus in his normal form- he had to admit that he was just so _awesome_- but his holographic form was **gorgeous**.

Soft black hair framed the sides of his face, and long tendrils snaked down his neck to play across his shoulders suggestively, though they went no further than that. His skin was a peachy-tan color, clear, though around his mouth and on his chin there was a shadow, indicating that if he were actually human, there would be facial hair in that area. He was dressed neatly, though he had his own unique style- steel-toed black boots, black jeans, leather belt, and a dark blue jacket resting over a softer blue shirt with a red flame on it. And finally, his eyes were the most lucid blue he'd ever seen. They almost seemed to glow.

Suddenly, his throat felt dry and his hands shook a little. He could feel sweat bead on his palms, which he hurriedly wiped on his jeans. "Hey, Optimus."

He gave Sam a slight smile. Even in the human hologram, he wasn't used to conveying facial expression as well, though his control was exceptional. "Hello, Sam. Are you ready?" His voice remained the same as it was before, giving Sam some familiarity.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sam didn't know why he was so nervous. It was just _Optimus_; it wasn't like he was face-to-face with Megatron again. And he liked girls, he had a fabulous girlfriend after all, why was Optimus having a stronger effect on him than normal?

"Then let's roll out." That line made Sam smile despite his nervousness, and he grasped Optimus's outstretched hand that would help him inside the truck's cab. It felt real, and it was… warm.

* * *

"Samuel, your hand is completely healed; however, that scar isn't going to leave you. If you'd like, I can give you some cream to help fade it, otherwise, come back in two weeks and we'll take your cast off…"

The words of the doctor had only echoed in his mind briefly, having been focused on something more prominent- like the fact that the entire time he was there; Optimus had been behind him one hundred percent. He'd asked good questions and given him support. He could remember how it had felt to have Optimus give him a pat on the back- something he couldn't really do that easily in robot form (though when he had compared the two forms, he felt the same amount of gentleness). He gave some answers (nothing too revealing, of course), and overall had impressed both the doctor and Sam.

Now they were on their way back to Sam's dorm at the college, and it was about 12 PM or so now. Despite the fact that he'd only been awake for four hours, Sam already felt somewhat tired, and he couldn't help but notice that the nice leather seats inside Optimus's cab seemed to conform to his body, making him very comfortable. The gentle humming of Optimus's body as he drove also lulled him, making him doze a bit through the 40 minute trip back to his dorm. It wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder that he realized that they were back. He was disappointed, to say the least.

Optimus helped him out of the cab, and some nearby girls who were out enjoying the sunshine watched in interest, with some swooning, others just plain staring, and some looking away. Sam ignored them as well, and turned to look at his Autobot friend. "Thank you, Optimus, for being there with me today," he said shyly.

The Prime's face twisted into a humble smile. "You are welcome, Sam. I am glad that you are on the mend… though now I should get back to base."

Sam tried to pretend the bubble of happiness that had been welling up in his stomach hadn't just popped. He didn't really want Optimus to leave just yet, but he couldn't just ask him to stay. "Right," he nodded. "I guess I will see you soon, then?" He asked hopefully.

A thoughtful look passed over the Autobot's face. "Yes, you will. Have a good weekend, Sam."

"You too, Optimus, you too." He watched him leave, feeling somewhat sad, yet relieved at the same time, and confused more than he could say. There was just something about him that Sam was beginning to feel, and he didn't know if he was ready for it or not.

When his phone began to ring, he checked the caller ID, hoping for a blank screen. _Mom and Dad_, the contact read. Sighing, he prepared himself to face his parents multiple inquiries about his health, idly wondering if he should have asked Optimus to stay. After the call was over, and his ears stopped ringing (from his mother's exceptionally loud voice), he fell into a dreamless sleep on his bed… hoping to remember some of that day's events within his dreams.

End of chapter one

* * *

**AC**: author note time! _Vay-cay_ is a slang term for vacation that I've heard numerous times; I thought Sam would be the type of person to pick up on it. _Pop_ is another term for soda, or coke, or whatever the heck you call it. I realize that from what region Sam is from in the United States that he'd probably say soda, but for the sake of my Midwestern pride, I left it in. Please don't kill me for that. Also, the "nice bananas" quote is from the nation-tan Spain from _Axis Powers Hetalia_. Leo looks very Hispanic (and seemed to have a bit of an accent), so I couldn't help myself. That and he's half-asleep. Leo is going to be one of my comedic-relief puppets. Totally was trying to make some sexual implications (Leo, not Spain).

In any case, I am tired, it's almost three in the morning, and I'm going to bed. Reviewing would make me very happy, so push the button if you have some spare time to tell me if you liked this~!


	2. October

**AC**: ALL OF YOU READERS ARE AMAZING. This has been favorited, reviewed, added to alerts and c2'ed, and according to TheWatcher4 on this site, who recommended this fic in a post on the _LiveJournal _community **tf2007fun**, and this fic made it on the recommended list on **The Cybertronian**. I'm so flattered and excited that everyone is enjoying this fanfiction. THANK YOU ALL. I do have a LiveJournal account as well, so if anyone would like to speak to me through there, my LJ name is 0rei (underscore) oh (underscore) ray. Just take away the spaces and add the underscores, and the first character is a zero, not an o.

**Dedication**- TheWatcher4, for spreading news of more OP/Sam love. I am not worthy! X'D

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Transformers… if I did, I'd have all the vehicles that the Autobots transform in and ride those sweet things everywhere. I also do not own any of the lyrics used, they belong to their respective bands and record labels.

**Note**: Nothing like the Transformers' soundtracks to inspire you, along with all these alerts. Ahaha.

**Things to watch out for**: Sam and Leo's deepening friendship, SPOILERS, Bumblebee just being awesome, random _Axis Powers Hetalia _reference, Sam and Mikaela having difficulties with their relationship, and more Optimus. And no, not all of these chapters will be focused on a holiday, though they may mention it.

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter Two: October**

"Speech"

'Thought'

In Sam's Dorm Room, in the month of October-

Normal POV

"Oi Sam, catch!" Sam had barely any time to turn before a box went sailing in his direction. Only by sheer luck he'd managed to catch it, but fell on his backside on the floor. Cringing, he glared up at Leo, conveying without words his distaste. "Sorry man." He helped Sam up, his bronzed hand grabbing Sam's scarred hand, and examined it briefly. A jagged raised, pink line ran across the palm of his hand before stopping on the top right side. "That's a real nasty scar, bro."

Sam shrugged. He didn't really care, seeing as he'd just taken it as a part of his journey to bring Optimus back. "I might be scarred, but at least I didn't taze myself in the nuts."

Leo looked offended. "I _tripped_. There's no way in hell that a dude would taze himself in the _cojones _on purpose!"

Sam snickered. "I bet you would have done it for Alice." Despite the fact that the name he'd just said brought up some unpleasant thoughts, at least he had a proper comeback.

"Are you serious? I'm still having nightmares about that! And to think I almost had sex with her in my dream!" Leo shuddered. "You're lucky you already have a chica to hold close, my man. Every time I look at a woman I think to myself, 'hmmm, is she a psycho robot too?'"

Sam sighed. "Sometimes I wonder… if she still wants to be close," he murmured quietly, thinking about Leo's comment on 'his chica to hold close.'

Leo looked up from his laptop, where he was working on his website. "Something wrong?" He hadn't heard exactly what Sam said, but the troubled expression on his face showed the nineteen-year-old was thinking of something.

"Oh no, it's nothing. Just thinking about how my mother is going to completely embarrass me," Sam set down the box, which had some extension cords and other random electronic equipment in it, on the floor, and sank into another chair a few feet away from Leo.

"Oh yeah that's right, your mom's making you stay over there for Halloween." It was Thursday afternoon, and Halloween was on Saturday. Luckily, neither of them had classes on Friday, due to cancellations.

Sam nodded. "It was either that or she and my dad came here, and after what happened on my first day here…" Sam did not want to see a repeat of his mother's crazy behavior- granted, she had been naïve enough to think the stuff she got from that bake sale was harmless, but still. She had gone around telling girls about aspects of his private life that should _stay_ private. "…I don't want her to do that again, so I'm just going there. She's making me help with setting up her Halloween party on Saturday night."

"Mmm. Are the Autobots going to be there?" Leo asked with a grin.

Sam shrugged. "I'm… not sure. They might be. I know Bumblebee will be for sure (he is my car you know), Ironhide, Ratchet, and the others will probably be at the base... and I don't know about Optimus." He looked a little uncomfortable at that.

Leo yawned and sat down in his own chair across the room. "You sound kind of disappointed man. Maybe you should invite them, so you don't get bored…" then he leaned forward, with a mischievous look in his eyes and said, "or are you trying to say you didn't invite them so that you could sneak away and go sleep with your girlfriend?"

Sam looked at him in shock. "What?! What are you talking about? That isn't it, not at all!"

His only reply was of Leo's thick eyebrows rising up higher on his brow. "Uh-huh. And I was born yesterday. But if that's what you want to believe, then go ahead. Or is there something you aren't telling me? Come on Sam, we're friends. What's on your mind?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. I guess I'm just tired, I didn't sleep too well last night." Sam turned away, trying to hide his confused state of being.

Even though Leo knew he was lying, he decided to give Sam a break and let it go, just this once. "All right my friend, but if you ever want to talk, just let me know." He patted his friend on the back. "No matter what it is, don't let it eat you up inside. It can do all sorts of things to you… so talk to me when you're ready." He got up and stretched, showing off some muscle in his arms as he did so. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get some food. You want anything?"

Sam shrugged, shoulders rising and falling shortly. "Thank you Leo, but I'm not hungry."

Leo strode towards the door and without bothering to turn back, he announced loudly, "I'll be sure to get you something. See you later." He then left via the main door.

Sam smiled despite the fact that Leo had ignored what he just said; Leo could be a really nice guy when he wanted to be. He then began to pack up his laptop and other necessities he'd need for going back home. In the morning, Bumblebee would be there to bring him back to his parents' house, which he would arrive at by around one in the afternoon. From there, he'd probably be conned into doing more than his fair share of work in preparation for the party the next day. If he had time, hopefully he could contact the Autobots. They were probably at the NEST base in Diego Garcia, which wouldn't give him enough time to see them before he'd have to leave Sunday night. In that respect, he was sad that he wouldn't get to see them and Optimus as well.

He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back. His eyes closed, and his arms lay idle upon his bent knees. Optimus… had been around a lot more since that doctor appointment in September. He'd come to his follow-up appointment in place of his parents (how that happened, he had no idea) where he'd finally shed his cast. He had seen the Prime's expression change from interested to something akin to happiness, and he had smiled when Sam, joyful that he could move freely, did a little dance outside the clinic. That smile had warmed his heart (not to mention it was handsome, though he didn't want to admit that just yet).

He had taken him back to his dorm, where Leo had exclaimed that Sam's healed ankle was a cause for celebration, and somehow Optimus agreed to take them both out for a while on the town (though not for too long, as they both had class the next day). They had hit a pizzeria first because of Sam and Leo's grumbling stomachs, and then stopped by a few random shops. It had been a fun night, and Optimus seemed to loosen up in Sam's presence, though his leader-like disposition was still strongly present.

About two weeks later, Optimus called him about important news- apparently another Autobot showed up earlier that week, and their name was Prowl. He had come looking for Jazz, who despite Ratchet's time-consuming research, was still offline. Prowl was upset beyond reason, and Optimus had called Sam seeking advice on how to console his friend, since even his soothing voice had not helped (and Ratchet just threatened to throw a wrench at Prowl because he was sick of him skulking around the med bay). Of course, Sam knew much about grief, having felt some of the worst kind after Optimus had died- the feelings of guilt, as he had blamed himself for Optimus's death. Sometimes, he still did.

He could never forget how Optimus (along with Bumblebee) bravely saved him from the Doctor's sharp saw and Megatron's leery gaze. Bumblebee took Mikaela and Leo away to safety, though knowing Bee it probably upset him because he was too far away for him to reach, so Optimus took him away. The Autobot drove him away at a frantic place, toward the forest where the potential loss of life was smaller.

He couldn't forget the fierce attacks of the Prime, when he'd destroyed one Decepticon and gone after yet another, powerful blows punishing all who dared to chase him. When he heard Optimus yell 'I'll take you all on,' his heart leaped into his throat as he watched, only pausing to run here and there when Starscream and others pursued him. He had fought so hard for him…

And he would never, _ever _forget when he saw Optimus's bright blue optics widen in shocked surprise when Megatron stabbed right through him, and his spark chamber exploded outward. He fell to the ground, and metal joints clanged when they hit the earth. He hoped with all his heart that Optimus would get up, but his blue optics locked on Sam's own eyes, and he knew that the mighty Prime could not continue on.

"'_Sam… run… run…'"_ those were the words that haunted his nightmares, as he saw the energon that powered his friend drain through his chest, and the light in Optimus's optics faded out into an empty gray.

That was the worst day of his life. The only other day he'd been so upset was when two years previous, when Simmons was being an arrogant bastard and ordered sector seven men to take Bumblebee down, using varying means of force that was not only unnecessary, but painful for the Autobot. He had been so furious.

The only difference between that day and when Optimus had died was the underlying cause. Himself.

* * *

He didn't know when he fell asleep or even moved himself to his bed, but all he knew the next morning that he was sprawled across his bed. Pushing himself with his hands, he sleepily looked over to where Leo was snoring in his own bed, then the sticky note that was stuck to Sam's alarm clock. It read,

**Sam,**

**I guess you were more tired then you let on because you were already asleep by the time I got back. Were you taking a stroll down memory lane? If so, it didn't look like it was the right side of the road- you were crying in your sleep man. I put you in your bed but dang, your muscles must weigh a ton or something because I almost dropped you. Your food is in the refrigerator. Wake me up before you leave.**

**Leo.**

Sam smiled ruefully. He really did make a good friend, even if he was a bit of a crybaby ("PLEASE GOD DON'T LET ME DIE") when it came to danger. He went over to the small refrigerator and opened up the carton within that had his name drawn over the picture of the happy Italian man who owned the Italian restaurant called 'Feliciano's Italian Delights.' Of course, when he opened it up, he found pasta. 'This'll make an interesting breakfast,' he thought. He heated up his pasta and ate it before getting on with his daily rituals, such as showering, dressing, and brushing his teeth. While he had been getting dressed, his phone vibrated- a new text had come up.

He found it when he came back, and noticed it was from his very own guardian himself, Bumblebee. It read, "I'm here, waiting in the parking lot."

He smiled and replied, "Okay, will be there soon." Just as he pressed send, a loud yawn echoed from over in Leo's direction. His friend was waking up, black hair tousled and brown eyes fluttering open. His eyes focused on Sam, who was now picking up his things to bring out to the waiting Bumblebee.

"Looks like I woke up in time," Leo commented and sat up, and then stood up. He clasped hands with Sam, and then put their arms around each other in a brief hug. "I'll see you Sunday night, have fun."

Sam's mouth twisted into a grin. "I'll see you then… and thanks for the pasta." He then left, turning through the halls of the dorm then outwards across the campus grounds and to the parking lot, where he saw Bumblebee parked. He smiled and ran towards his car, which as he got inside, turned on and revved happily.

"_Hey hey you you/I like where we are, when we drive in my car, I like where we are, here/I'm so excited/how about you?"_

Sam had to laugh; Bumblebee always knew how to lift a mood, especially with his use of the radio. Bumblebee could use his voice now, but at times, such in the car, he liked using the radio to speak. "I missed you Bee. Are you ready to go home?" He began to pat the soft leather seats, knowing that Bee enjoyed his touch (no Bee/Sam implied here, but more like you scratch a dog or a cat behind the ears and they happen to like it).

A happy purr was his answer, clearly he had missed Sam. As they pulled out of the parking lot and made their way back on the hours-long drive back home, Sam inwardly marveled at Bumblebee's ability to feel even the smallest touches, wondering if you had to have highly sensitive 'sensory nodes' in order to feel it. 'I guess I'll just ask Ratchet when I see him next,' Sam thought.

Later, this thought would prove to create some major entertainment.

Bumblebee played some sweet tunes while they were in the car, of varying types of music, whether it was from movie soundtracks, rock, pop, country, or even a random theme song (Bumblebee thought the first Pokémon theme song was fun to play obnoxiously loud). But eventually, they made it, and immediately after bringing his things to the door, his mother came running out to hug him, tearfully exclaiming that "my boy is home!" His father clapped him on the back and gave him a hug.

After putting his small amount of things away, Sam stretched and yawned tiredly. The long car ride had made him slightly sleepy, but he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. So he went downstairs, and began the long and somewhat tedious task of helping his mother and father set up for the next day's party. He hung large plastic, hairy spiders from the ceiling, stretched large wads of cotton across doorways, swathed tables with black tablecloths, placed candles and tea lights on top of them, and put all sorts of "scary" decorations around the house.

It was about two hours later when they were finally done, and Sam, now somewhat exhausted, had finished up the outside decorations. Bumblebee was in the garage, and Sam walked over to him and collapsed beside him. Bumblebee transformed and picked him up and held him close to him, and Sam hugged him. Sam began to relax, as the sound of Bumblebee's internal systems working together to make a symphony of its own kind had always made him feel peaceful. His chassis was also somewhat warm, which made Sam content.

After a few long minutes, Bumblebee put Sam down. "What is the matter, Sam?" He asked in his normal voice.

Sam sighed; the calm he'd gained had started to ebb away. "I… I don't know. Am I going to see any of the Autobots today?"

"I do not know Sam-" upon seeing Sam's crestfallen look, he crooned in through his radio, _"now baby, don't be sad. _I'm sure at least one of them will come to see you. I shall be here, and I believe Mikaela will be stopping by at the party tomorrow," he added, which to his surprise, only brought about a shadow of horror passing over Sam's face.

He put his face into his palms and cursed heavily. He… had missed their last two web chat dates and hadn't really done enough to apologize for them, or even given a good excuse. He usually had them planned on Friday nights or sometimes on the weekends, and he normally finished most of his homework by the time they came around. Mikaela knew that Sam had lost any desire to go to fraternity parties after his disastrous first party, and the negative emotions that arose whenever he thought about "Alice" and her diesel-tinged metal tongue, so that took those out of the equation. Sam usually only went out when he needed to purchase something such as food or items for his classes, studied outdoors (rarely), and when Leo would drag him with to a club, even though Sam had no desire to be out in the public eye. The conclusion he feared she'd come to was that he was out with another woman, which certainly wasn't true. But it didn't change the fact that he'd probably have a fuming girlfriend when she arrived at the party tomorrow.

"Did something happen between you and Mikaela, Sam?" Bumblebee asked, concerned for his charge.

Sam just sighed, resting his chin upon his arms, which were lying atop his bent knees. "It's not what has happened; it's what might come to pass."

Bumblebee cocked his head to one side as he pondered what Sam might be implying; that his relationship might end, however, he was certain that by Sam's body language that he didn't want to talk about it. Human relationships were different than those of Cybertronians in some regard, but similar in other ways. "I understand." He placed his large servo, or hand, around Sam, and Sam slid an arm around his fingers. "If you need to talk, I'm always here for you, Sam."

Sam tightened his grip on Bumblebee. "I know. Thank you, Bee."

The affectionate Autobot made a cheerful clicking noise in response, and then asked, "You know what song I'm thinking of?"

Sam looked up at Bumblebee's bright cerulean optics, which were full of mischievous intent. "No, not really. I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours half the time. Tell me."

Bumblebee did the best he could with his mouth-plates in order to form a smile before he began to play some horrifically familiar lyrics: _"never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never going to run around and desert you~"_

Sam groaned and covered his ears in mild embarrassment. "Bee, stop that!"

"_Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye!"_ Bumblebee looked like he was resisting the urge to get up and dance, none the less he was swaying from side to side to the rhythm while his servo was still around Sam, and Sam could barely ignore the flush that danced across his cheeks as he began to laugh uncontrollably.

"_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!"_ Bumblebee just had to let go and jump up about a foot, his head centimeters from hitting the ceiling, shaking his aft while he was at it made for a very amusing picture.

It was too much for Sam and he snorted in a very ungentlemanly manner and begged, "Okay, that's enough. I believe you." He wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. "Never, _ever_, sing and dance along to Rick Astley in front of me unless you want me to pass out from laughing. Thank you Bee, for making me feel better." He smiled at Bumblebee gratefully.

Bumblebee chirped happily, and played a segment from a song from one of the copious amounts of radio stations broadcasting in his area. _"Because when I arrive I-I'll bring the fire, make you come alive, I can take you higher~"_

"I get it, thanks." Sam got up and stretched, feeling much better and somewhat revived. The sun was going down, and Sam could hear his mother yelling that it was time for dinner. "I guess I should go eat now, but I'll be back later, all right Bee?"

Bumblebee nodded and transformed back into his alt form, to which Sam patted fondly in passing before going out of the garage and into the house. As soon as Bumblebee heard Sam's yell of surprise, he knew he had accomplished his job in cheering up his charge _and_ distracting him long enough for Sam's surprise visitor to make it into the house without Sam hearing about it. Bumblebee began to listen eagerly to the squeaking sound of Sam as he tried to comprehend who he was seeing.

* * *

"You _didn't_." Sam could only stare in pure unadulterated shock when he saw none other than the holographic form of _Optimus _(freaking, he added in his head) _Prime _sitting across the kitchen table from his mother and father, who didn't seem to have a problem with him being there. Indeed, his father was already eating and taking a sip of his wine while his mother looked up at him from being in conversation with Optimus and smiled at Sam.

Noticing the change in attention, the black-haired _realistic beyond measure _hologram turned and looked at Sam. "Hello, Samuel."

Judy Witwicky got up and ushered him to a seat next to the Autobot leader, and then filled up Sam's plate with some meat, vegetables, and fruit dish and pushed it in front of him. "Here you are, and don't be rude, say hello!"

Sam's eye twitched. Didn't she have any idea who this was? "Mom, this is **Optimus Prime**. You know, as in the leader of the Autobots?!"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course I know that. There isn't nothing wrong with having one of the saviors of the world in our house as a guest now is there?" She sat down primly in her chair, and began cutting her meat as if to say 'that's that.'

Sam just blinked. "Mom, don't you remember when the shard of the cube brought all our kitchen appliances to life and threatened to blow my- our heads off? You said, _'I have had it with these psychotic aliens in my garage!'_ What happened to that?!"

Ron decided to answer for Judy, who looked about ready to cuff Sam on the head. "Your friend here also happened to protect you. We know the story. He also made sure you recovered all right by taking you to the doctor when we couldn't." He pointed a fork at Sam, who was about ready to protest. "Don't act like you're not happy to see your friend, because we know you are."

"Well of course I am. I didn't mean to say I wasn't happy to see you big guy," he hastily reassured Optimus, "but seriously, who arranged this? I thought you were with the other Autobots at NEST headquarters!"

Optimus, who had nothing in front of him (he didn't need to eat, rather the only thing he could consume was energon, but he could only take that in his normal form), answered, "I was curious about this holiday, also Leo said you seemed to miss my company." By the look of that small smile tugging on his lips, he seemed to be amused, in a content way.

'I'm going to freaking kill Leo when I see him next,' Sam decided. 'I will shiv him with a sharpened toothbrush and then shank him with a five-freaking-foot-long metal pointer in the stomach and then I will ram it up his ass.' He blamed his foul mouth on the Autobot twins Skids and Mudflap, and the fact that he was beginning to grow pink in the face. "I just- well, I mean, you're Optimus Prime. You're one of the few friends I have that I know isn't insane. Not that anyone else is, well I'm pretty sure some of them have a few screws loose but you're kind of like a figurehead seeing as you're the leader of the Autobots 'n all. And I totally respect you and I… well… shit." Sam stuck a large piece of meat in his mouth and chewed, not wanting to look at the Autobot who was sitting beside him.

"Sam, don't swear at the table," Ron apparently wasn't listening except for when his son cursed, instead he was more focused on his food, though he could be seen periodically looking up and over at Optimus. Apparently he must have impressed him greatly, normally his father regarded many people with distrust, thinking 'you can never be too careful, the person you talk to could be completely innocent or a serial killer in disguise.' But obviously, after two years of interaction with Sam, Ron had seen that while his son was often in danger, he was much safer when the Autobots, and especially Optimus Prime, was around. And for Optimus (as well as Bumblebee and the others) fighting so bravely for his son, he decided that they couldn't be too bad (except for those damn Decepticons- nearly ruining their vacation in France and hurting their boy).

Judy thought her son's little confession was priceless, though not as much as… "Oh Sam, you're so precious. My little boy, who is getting so big." She sniffed. "It makes me think of how tiny you were when you were younger…"

Sam groaned after he had swallowed his chunk of meat. "Mom, please don't start that again…" He put another piece into his mouth, still not looking at Optimus.

"Just like your little baby booties. So small, so cute…" Suddenly, there seemed to be an evil look in her eyes, and she pulled out a large photo album out from underneath the table and plopped it right in front of Optimus (she was on his other side). "Get a load of this, Sam when he was little! You can see how my baby boy has grown up!"

'She can't be serious…' Sam thought with dread.

"Just look, here's him taking his first bath, and here's him when he was going off to school for the first time, and here's him running around the house naked!"

Sam began to choke on his piece of meat violently, beating at his chest in vain in hopes that it would help. He heard cries of "Sam!" coming from his parents and Optimus. Immediately Optimus stood up and got up behind him, pulling him from his chair and up by his armpits and began to perform the Heimlich maneuver, which he probably learned from the internet. Sam wasn't really aware of it as he was too busy trying to focus on bringing air into his lungs, only faintly registering the feeling of strong (almost not there) hands slamming into his body, forcing his own against a warm, taller form. There was shouting, of course, but he could not address it. His vision was melting, melting into darkness...

Finally, the stubborn piece of meat decided to exit via his mouth and went sailing across the table to land somewhere on the floor. Sam took deep breaths, and someone pushed a cup full of water into his hand. He drank long draughts of it and emptied the glass quickly. He rubbed his neck, which felt very tender on the inside.

He blinked, and soon Optimus's concerned luminous blue eyes were looking into his own. "Are you all right Sam?" He could feel the hands of the hologram on his shoulders and see the worried look on his face. His black eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth was in a tight line. This was the most emotion Sam had ever seen being expressed in Optimus's holographic form, and it made him feel scared himself. The Autobot had moved faster than anyone else in the room and in all reality, he had just saved Sam's life.

Sam could only wordlessly nod, and then he felt arms being wrapped around him by his mother and father, whose voices only seemed to mingle together into murmured noise. By the sounds of his sobbing mother, and muttered curses by his father, they both denoted relief- they could have lost their boy again.

Sam stared into Optimus's eyes, who were not far from his own (about a foot or two away). His gaze denoted something, but Sam couldn't really tell what it was. Right now, he thought that Optimus was just happy to see that he was still alive.

The arms around him slipped somewhat, but still anchored him to his parents. Sam told the Autobot softly, "thank you. You saved me again." His voice was somewhat hoarse, but not even the scratchiness in his esophagus could hide his gratitude.

Optimus seemed at loss for words this time. There were really more than just Decepticons to fear- even when an organic wasn't careful, they could die in other ways. Sam had almost choked to death and no Decepticons were involved at all. 'The world is really more than black and white, but it often takes either an unpleasant or unexpected incident to open one's own optics.' He put his hand on his chest over where his spark was- right in the middle. It had been throbbing painfully when he saw Sam in such danger and immediately downloaded the first result on how to combat choking- the Heimlich maneuver. He had been so afraid that something irreversible would occur. He was right there, and there were unknown dangers all around them. For the first time in his life since he was but a sparkling, he felt dwarfed by his surroundings.

"You're welcome… Sam. Please…" He wanted to say, 'be careful,' but something different came out of his hologram's mouth. "'Remember you are mortal.'"

Sam nodded. "I know." He remembered more than ever now, though more so by the realization setting in that he had almost died, heightened because of remembering when he had actually _died _before setting in. He felt sick to his stomach, and with a quick "excuse me" he ran and threw up into the kitchen sink.

* * *

It had taken nearly an hour to convince his mother that _no_, they did _not _need to take him to the hospital and a couple of alcoholic beverages before she was calm enough in order to slip into a more peaceful state of mind. Ron, who had also been very upset, managed to calm himself quicker than Judy did and put them both to bed.

As for Optimus, he had to shortly deactivate his hologram, as it took precious amounts of power to maintain for hours like he did. He had to go recharge, but Judy, in her state of inebriety, tearfully hugged him, thanked him for saving Sam, and that he was welcome any time. The motion was seconded by Ron, who shook Optimus's hand with his usual look on his face. The only sign that he was affected was the trembling of his arm and shoulders.

Sam watched them leave before turning to Optimus. He had already thanked Optimus numerous times now, and seeing the Prime standing before the door (and his true form parked down the street just about seventy or so feet away) made him want to follow Optimus down to his real form. But the only thing he could manage to say was a quiet "see you later."

Optimus watched him for a long minute, and nodded. "I will see you tomorrow, Sam. Goodnight."

Sam watched him go with a forlorn look on his face, seeing the way the moon's light reflected off both forms. The Peterbilt truck had a silvery glint, while the hologram's hair had a bluish tint to it. Once the form reached the truck, it climbed in, and sat down, and the truck drove off into the night.

* * *

Bumblebee had _not_ been pleased to hear that Sam had nearly bit the dust last night and grabbed Sam the moment he walked into the garage the next morning. Only when he was certain that Sam was fine and healthy that he put him down (though he had half a mind to call Ratchet and tell him to inspect Sam). The Autobot vowed that he would form his own hologram and make it just as good as Optimus's (though he didn't doubt that it would take probably at least a few orns of practice before it was just as good) so that he could watch Sam more closely. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing Sam die again. Sam was touched, and reassured the Autobot that he was fine, though he had to say, "You should really let go of me before you squish my outfit." He was basically dressed like a greaser from decades past, with gelled hair slicked back, leather jacket, white tee shirt, and jeans. Bumblebee failed to see how it was a costume considering how Sam wore most of those items often, but allowed his friend to get back to helping his mother with preparing food.

Mikaela was even more displeased than Bumblebee, which was saying something, because the 'bot did not let go of Sam for a whole hour, keeping him from helping more with preparing the food for the party and pissing Judy off. She had come about right in the middle of the party, as she had said weeks prior (in the last web chat date that he was present for) that she would be late because she had to watch her man-child of a father until work was done for the day.

Sam was socializing with Miles, who he hadn't seen for months, trying to vainly explain why he hadn't stuck around for the summer with him. Miles had felt betrayed, but after a lot of explaining (lying) that he had become involved in a government project that had been stationed in Mission City, just doing ordinary work, _no, of course there aren't any giant alien robots living on earth_, and he had his face plastered all over the news because someone in a freaky alien mask tried to frame him. He was pretty sure Miles didn't buy half of it, but his friend chose to forgive him anyway.

It was at this time when Mikaela had come up to him and demanded to talk when he had been dragged away by his girlfriend outdoors and by a more secluded bush before she unleashed her fury, frustration, and worry for him all at once. Some of the more memorable things she said was, "how could you stand me up on our last two web chat dates?!", "in this relationship, communication is a key, and you're not talking to me enough," "you almost died again and I had to hear this from Bumblebee, instead of you?!", and "don't you realize that I am willing to do and say all of this because I love you?"

At the last line, tears began to well up at the bottom of her baby blue eyes and start running down her cheeks, dragging and smearing a black line from her mascara-coated eyelashes along the way down. She sniffed and hugged him, and Sam put his arms around her.

He sighed deeply and said, "I'm sorry, 'kaela. It's just that things happened so fast and-"

She cut him off, and took herself out of his arms. "You aren't sorry. I know one can choke without a moment's notice but I had to hear it from _Bumblebee_! Not you! What exactly were you doing when our web chat dates were planned? I **know** you weren't at a party, Leo told me so-"

Sam was taken aback. "You talked to _Leo_ about this?!"

"Of course I did!" She demanded. "After all, he sees you more than I do. Who else am I supposed to talk to, you're hardly ever here, and when you are, all you ever do is want to see the Autobots!"

He tried to keep his cool, by thinking of something small, cute, and fluffy. 'Kitten calendars, kitten calendars-' "That isn't true. I do come home because I want to see them, but I also want to see you and believe it or not my parents aren't that eager to have me gone. But they are my friends too Mikaela and you have to respect that."

She sighed in frustration. "Of course I do, you know I do. But when was the last time we went on a date, a real, proper one where we can actually physically touch each other?"

Sam scratched the back of his neck. "A few months ago… before I went to college."

"Exactly. I don't think I matter as much to you, Sam. I'm not always there but I try to be in any form I can, and I don't think you are trying to be there for me. Sam, I love you. It took you so long to say it; you wouldn't even say it until after you died. But I don't think you **love** me, I think you were **in love** with me at one point in time… But I'm not the most important person in your life. And I really want to be."

He took a step forward, but she took a step back. "Mikaela…" His voice was full of remorse. He really did care for her; it was just that he had so many things going on that made things near impossible. "You are important." He picked her hand up and held between his own hands. "I fought for you and everything else. I never wanted you to get hurt, and I was scared that somehow one of the Decepticons would get you."

She shook her head. "You did fight for me, and that's part of why I care for you so much. But… I'm not the most important person in your life. I've taken a look and it's not oblivious to me, Sam. There's someone out there for you that you love more, and it's not just the world."

'Kitten calendar, kitten calendar…' "That's not true. I don't know about anyone that I love more than you Mikaela. Who could it honestly be?" He was so confused and his heart hurt. This was pure proof of what he suspected all along, that their relationship was crumbling.

She gave him one last look. "You'll figure it out, Sam. I just… I need to go. I'll talk to you later." She swiped at her wet eyes and turned on her heels and left, most likely to go home.

Sam nearly screamed in frustration, however the noise that did come out of his mouth somewhat resembled a strangled yell of "kitten calendar!" He'd lost it. He pushed past throngs of confused people, did not hear the yips of Mojo and Frankie, off-handedly told Miles that he had to be alone, and ignored the buzzing of his cell phone as it brimmed with phone calls from his mother, his father, Miles, and Bumblebee, who had heard his vanishing footsteps off the property. He half-jogged, half-ran down the streets, taking turns here and there, never minding the small children and adolescents in the streets who were beginning their quest for candy.

Finally, after about a half an hour of traveling, he found a large cornfield that he used to play in every Halloween back when they had a maze in it. However, the person who owned the cornfield was getting too old and lacked money to hire others to plow a maze in it, so they only thing they did with it now was tend to it. However, it was a perfect getaway for him, and he entered it from a corner, and slowly made his way in, pushing past the green and sometimes brown leaves of the corn stalks until he found his perfect spot.

It was then when he began to think, and let a few tears roll. There was no shame in crying, heck he saved the world twice, and he could cry if he wanted to.

He thought about Mikaela, and tried in vain to see just who the heck she was talking about, but could not come up with an answer. There wasn't any girl that he was interested in besides her, so what exactly did she mean? There weren't any men out there he liked. Nothing came to mind, though there was a wiggling sensation at the back of his mind, something he hadn't yet uncovered. Whatever it was, it was driving him crazy, along with other things going on with his life, and as a result, Sam was feeling quite stressed out. He just wanted to sleep and forget. Or better yet, something else could come along and distract him. Hopefully whatever it was it wouldn't have malevolent intentions.

He sat on the ground in a small pocket where a few stalks had failed to sprout and as a result, the earth was barren there. It was good for him though, and he looked up at the stars, which were twinkling in the blackening sky.

They really were beautiful, he thought. There were so many of them, with many gleaming white and some yellow, with a precious few of a different color. Knowing that somewhere out in the many galaxies that Cybertron existed, and along with it other sentient beings besides the Cybertronians existing, made him want to study astronomy. He loved to stargaze, and often wondered how many other planets existed besides the ones already discovered within their galaxy. He had so many questions, and the Autobots held a lot of the answers. He had asked some already, but he always wanted to know more.

It was then when he was interrupted in his musing by the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards him. Sam got up hurriedly, hands drawn into fists, and trying to decide between his 'fight or flight' instincts. He was always good at running; his fast legs had enabled him to flee the Decepticons numerous times after all. He wasn't very good at fighting, and he had decided that self-defense lessons should be the first thing on his wish list. Honestly, he was tired of getting the shit kicked out of him. He had been picked on back in school by Trent and a few of his cronies back in high school, and while he was sure that he couldn't really do any damage against any vengeful Decepticons, he could always try.

"Sam?" He heard a voice, a deep one that always held his attention no matter what. "Sam, are you there?"

"I'm here, Optimus…" He didn't yell, but said it within a raised voice. He hadn't really been ready to be taken back yet, rather he wanted to be alone for a little while longer, but he didn't mind having Optimus around.

A minute later Optimus's holographic form became visible, and went over to Sam. He was actually _wearing _a Halloween costume, which made Sam gawk. He looked like Clark Kent, from the classy outfit to the glasses. The only difference was that Optimus did not get rid of his long black hair, but had it put back in a pony tail to look shorter from the front. 'It figures he'd choose a hero.'

He asked, "Why did you leave? Everyone was worried about you." His blue eyes, while they looked human here, glowed just like they did in his normal form. He towered over Sam's height by at least a head, perhaps a head and a half. And right now, he had a very stern look on his face.

Suddenly, Sam felt sheepish for taking off like he did. He must have been worrying everyone… he was sure a great many of his phone calls were from Bumblebee, and the rest from his parents and maybe Miles. He looked at the ground in shame. "I got into a fight with Mikaela and I didn't want to stick around."

Optimus was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Sam gaped at him in amazement. "You're not mad at me for running off like that?"

The Prime just sighed deeply, a very human-like motion. "I will not deny that I was upset, Sam. I was afraid that while you were alone, something might have happened to you while none of us were around to protect you. Right now, I am just content to see that you are unharmed."

Sam put his hands into his pockets. "I… I'm sorry Optimus, I really am- I never meant to worry anyone. …But I don't really feel like discussing it much. It's just that Mikaela and I are going through a… a milestone, or something. I'm not sure." He clenched his hands. "I tried to talk to her, to reason with her, but she… she seems set in her way. Like she's sure she's right."

"Sure she's right about what?" Optimus asked gently.

Sam leaned back against a stalk lightly, looking down at his feet. "Like she's sure that I love someone else. I know I don't, honestly. No one else comes to mind. There isn't anyone that I care for like that… besides her."

If Optimus was surprised, he did not show it. "I'm sure it will come to you some time, Sam." He offered.

"I guess so. It's my fate, isn't it?" He tried not to sound like he was mocking the Autobot leader, because he knew that he'd been right about his fate before. "I guess we might not really be meant to be together forever. It's just, that's what I thought it would be. But things change." He licked his bottom lip, it was dry. "People change. I just never thought it would come to this. She might really break up with me."

"I am sorry, Sam. I am not really sure how to comfort you, but just give it time." Optimus put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam felt lighter already. Having someone there to listen to him really helped, and Optimus was the most patient being he'd met. "It's all right Optimus, you already did. I kind of feel better already. Thanks big guy." Sam leaned forward and gave Optimus a brief hug, then pulled back quickly, for reasons unknown to him feeling red in the face.

Optimus had never received a hug from Sam before, and found his holographic form to almost freeze completely and flicker for an astrosecond before becoming fully visible. It was… a nice feeling- an open sign of affection. He felt his spark within his chest burn a little brighter than before. "…You're welcome, Sam," he finally said after a pregnant silence.

Sam still had a flushed face. "So… um… should we get back to that party?" Shifting nervously from foot to foot, he waited for a reply.

"The others will be most relieved to see you. Let us be on our way then." Feeling like it was the right thing to do, Optimus offered Sam his hand.

Sam stared at it for a few seconds before he decided that no, it wasn't a totally girly thing to hold another being's hand, even if they were male (or at least sounded and looked male). "Alrighty then. That party had better be ready for my arrival!"

And he took his hand. A tiny spark of static electricity jumped between their joined hands. They both felt it, especially Sam- but he did not pull away. The spark had not hurt him, but rather it brought a pleasant feeling.

Little did Sam know that in Cybertronian terms, sparks only jump between the hands of those who were destined to be together. To Optimus Prime, it was the beginning of his realization that there were some aspects he hadn't yet pondered.

Was he destined to fall for a human?

This would plague him for months to come.

End of chapter two.

* * *

**AC**: I just wanted to make a point that while there is copious amounts of Hologram!Optimus in this fic so far, there _will_ be plenty of Optimus in his normal form as well. It is just for at this time, Sam is not in a particularly secluded place where Optimus can transform, school and his home and a corn field does not work that way. Bumblebee can transform in the garage because he manages to fit, but Optimus is much bigger, and that would not work. Sam will love all of him, and nothing less. Also, this chapter totally kicked my ass over the past three days. It just kept running and running and running… By the way, don't you just love Bumblebee? I DO. No, I do not hate Mikaela. I don't like her character that much (especially with her pushing Sam to say 'I love you' to her in ROTF), but I don't want to demonize her. She will still remain an important part of Sam's life. Miles will also show up periodically.

**Songs used (in order)**: Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, Here (In Your Arms) by Hellogoodbye, I'm So Excited by the Pointer Sisters, How About You by Stained, Date Rape by Sublime, Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne.

Please don't eat me for the rick-roll. _Cojones_ is a term meaning balls. The 'remember you are mortal' line comes from _memento mori_, a Latin phrase. It seemed appropriate. I loved it so much when Sam had his spastic moment with the kitten calendars. Leo should have a calendar with my kitty on it. Not all chapters will drag this long. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think~!!


	3. November

**AC**: ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?! I know I am! **Does a little dance** Thank you all, so very much for the reviews and alerts. My day is brightened whenever I read the reviews I get or see new alerts in my inbox! And now, I can see the future. I might have a sequel to this fic when I'm done… o.o I also posted this on the Optimus Prime/Sam LJ community **tf_twofates**- **The Watcher4** told me about it and now it is also on there. Which means, that if any **mature content** is written at some point in time, it may end up there as a heads up. And I will probably pass out from all the blood rushing to my face. I'm also watching some of the original _Transformers_ series to gain a better understanding of it as a whole. I **also got an anonymous review asking if this fic could be translated into chinese**. You may do so, as long as you credit me and post a link to this fanfic so that they may find it here as well. I'm really flattered! OwO;

**Dedication**- all of the people who are enjoying this fanfiction! Be happy, I can't stop writing. **Facepalm**

**Disclaimer**: I'm female and have very little money to my name. Of course I don't own Transformers or any of its components (as well as the song lyrics used)!

**Things to watch out for**: Sam realizes that Mikaela's not for him, MORE MILES, Bumblebee being awesome as usual, Optimus has some doubt and denial, SPOILERS SPOILERS **SPOILERS**, Autobots, introductions, Thanksgiving holiday, and other assorted madness. I totally made an outline for this chapter (and will do so for the following chapters), so hopefully updates will occur _faster_ and everything will be as smooth as silk.

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter Three: November**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"_Song lyrics"_

At the Witwicky household-

Normal POV

It was late fall, and so many of the crisp leaves of all the various trees around the Witwicky house were lying on the ground, leaving the brown trees barren. The lawn that Sam's father Ron was so proud of was almost a complete brown, with some stubborn patches of green hiding here and there. Covering up the dull shade was a blanket of leaves in bright mixes of gold, crimson, and orange. While the leaves were beautiful, it was Sam's job to clean them all up that breezy afternoon. So he began to rake them into piles.

He was home for Thanksgiving break, as he had just arrived last night from his journey away from campus. They were spending today at home, and then tomorrow, at Sam's behest (coupled with some begging) they were going to stay at NEST headquarters in Diego Garcia for Thanksgiving. Will and Epps were also going to be there, along with the rest of the team. He was really excited to see all of the Autobots, as well as the team- they were kind to him and he considered Will Lennox and Robert Epps to be part of his treasured group of friends. Mikaela, however, was not going to be there. She was staying with her father and his family, and Wheelie refused to go with the Autobots without her, so he lived with her. In some sense, Sam was relieved that he was there to help protect her if something went awry (though he wouldn't have much effect against a large Decepticon like Megatron or Starscream). The rest of him wasn't pleased that he insisted on staying with her because of his dirty behavior.

Sam stopped for a brief rest. About a quarter of the yard was finished and he'd been going at it for about 40 minutes. It wasn't that he was slow, it was more like the sheer volume of leaves lying on the ground was larger than of the neighbors, all because of his father's gardening obsession (he had planted at least five large trees grouped close together for privacy). Wiping a bit of sweat off his forehead, his thoughts began to return back to his girlfriend.

Since their fight, things hadn't gone so well between them. Sam, who still felt like he had eyes for no one else but her, had respected her wishes when she told him that he should really stop to think and decide whether he was going to help make the relationship work. But when it came to really trying to figure it all out, it had just brought a huge headache, and made Mikaela even more upset.

So he decided that he would leave her alone for a while. No calls, just the occasional text to let her know he still thought of her.

Instead, he went through a lot of hours just pondering their relationship.

Yes, she was a beautiful young woman that had any man staring. She was smart, funny, and strong. She had hidden talents sure to put any other girl to shame. She was a great kisser and he liked the feel of her body within his arms and how she could say the names of random car parts and tools and still sound so sexy.

However… he had noticed that lately, whenever he _did_ see her, he wasn't really looking at her like he used to. The affection he had for her was still present, but the passion was not. He cared, but he somehow felt like they just weren't on the same level anymore- she was heading in her own direction in life, pulling along her father and finding a career for herself working in the garage for moderately good money. He, on the other hand, was pursuing a duel degree in astrology and astronomy, at a college far from home. They hardly ever saw each other.

The one thing he felt they had some semblance of deep understanding was about the Autobots. What they had both gone through in those fights with their robotic friends was always at the back of their minds, and Sam found he could not leave it alone. He had Bumblebee for a guardian after all, and he was his car!

As he kept raking, his movements began to go faster, sweeping more leaves into piles and bags as his mind was actually figuring out what Mikaela was hinting at. His body was on autopilot, and his consciousness took no heed of the sweat rolling down his brow, or the chilly breeze nipping at his unprotected hands. It was all coming together.

He really did care for Mikaela, but it wasn't like how he used to. Perhaps back after Mission City and during the time in Egypt he really did feel like he loved her, but after prolonged separation, and changing priorities, they just didn't have the time for each other anymore. When they did see each other, it became somewhat awkward when they tried to initiate any sort of intimacy. When it came to speaking about anything else, such as the weather and especially the Autobots, it came more naturally.

'I think I understand…' His movements came to a halt. Staring up into the late afternoon sky, he sighed. 'We're better off being friends… I love her, but not in the way I used to.'

He looked down at his feet, all of the leaves were swept up into one big pile, just like his thoughts. He was organizing them as he gathered all the leaves, or straggling thoughts. When he put them all into one area, he felt more at ease. He had admitted it to himself. And when he put the leaves into the bags and threw them away, he felt like that would be ending it. He wouldn't break it to her just yet- not during a holiday.

Looking in satisfaction at the now-clear yard, he smiled to himself. At least he had figured out one part of the puzzle. The next part of Mikaela's request was to find out who he really loved. He had no idea just yet, but he had a feeling that for him, it would almost impossible- kind of like solving a Rubix cube. For many, it was obscenely hard. For some, it wasn't tough at all to figure out. But for him, he did not want to ponder it anymore- he'd had enough trouble with cubes to last a lifetime.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Lancaster household at least a half an hour before Sam was finished raking, Miles was all alone. He had been watching television for several hours now, but it was more like white noise- nothing held his interest, just gave him something to stare at as he tried to get rid of his depression. It was Thanksgiving break, but he wasn't going to be sharing it with anyone. His parents, who had been on a week-long trip to visit different countries within the African continent, could not make it back in time for Thanksgiving, due to a malaria outbreak. The airlines weren't willing to let anyone fly back until the outbreak was stabilized.

So he was stuck by himself (his dog was currently boarding at the vet's office because he was recovering from getting neutered), and boy, was he depressed.

He had tried to occupy himself, the television and stacks of movies and video games proved that, but he just couldn't find something distracting enough for his tastes (and his favorite show, _ER_ was only showing reruns that he'd seen enough to know by heart).

He stared listlessly out the window, viewing the darkening sky as clouds slowly migrated away from the horizon. Sighing, Miles flipped open his cell phone and looked at any texts he hadn't deleted yet. With a start, after seeing several from a conversation he had with Sam days previous, he realized his friend was still home. The text mentioned he would be leaving the next morning. 'Maybe he'd be up for a surprise visit?' He wondered. On one hand, they really had only began reconnecting last month, when he spoke to him at the Witwicky's Halloween party. Since then, they had exchanged many texts, a couple of phone calls, and several emails. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind Miles dropping by without any notice. Frowning, he thought, 'he'd better not mind, after all that time he blew me off for the EJC.' He didn't despise Mikaela, but he didn't like her too much either. He didn't have much against her except for the fact that she had hung around brawny bullies like Trent and took his best friend from him for several years. It didn't exactly sit well with him, but he tolerated it for his friend's sake.

Picking up a couple bottles of Mountain Dew and other types of pop he had within the refrigerator, he put them into a plastic bag, and grabbed some video games and some clothes in case he stayed overnight. At least they could always bond over good ol' Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Little did he know, his surprise visit would warrant a Thanksgiving break he'd never forget.

* * *

Bumblebee was one happy Autobot.

No really, he was. Don't doubt the bot, it'll make him sad. He had his boy home for another break, and no matter how short it was, he was always happy to spend time with him. Spending time with the Autobots was always fun for him, but it wasn't complete without Sam. He made everything all the more interesting, and Bumblebee was never really at ease unless he knew he was safe. He was home now, and that was all that mattered. He'd be even happier if Sam finished his raking and got out the new wax he promised to give him, since he wasn't able to do it this morning after his wash. He loved it when Sam gave him attention like that- he thought it reaffirmed their bond. Bumblebee drove him places and protected him, in turn Sam helped maintain him by washing and waxing his exterior as well as spending time with the cheery Autobot. They were best friends and that was that.

Bumblebee, no matter how much he wanted that waxing, decided to pass the time by slipping into a light recharge cycle. There was nothing wrong with getting in a good nap and he knew that if any Decepticon got close, his sensors would pick them up (they had a good extended reach from where they were emitted). Confident that nothing would stall his imminent spa-a la Sam treatment, he went into stasis for a while.

* * *

After 10 minutes of Bumblebee having his little nap, Miles crept into the yard. He had seen Sam go into the house for a possible water or bathroom break and decided to hide nearby the garage, where there was a large crack in a wooden plank on the siding. It was big enough that one could see only part of his face if he dragged it into view, but he knew how to keep hidden. Miles had plenty of practice, as he and Sam had hidden from bullies (**cough**Trent**cough**) plenty of times throughout their childhood.

He knelt beneath it and saw the new bright yellow Camaro that Sam insisted he got from the government, as his old one got totaled or something like that ("I swear!"). It was parked and off, and it looked like it had just been washed earlier that day. 'I wish I had a car like that…' he thought. He did not have a car yet, as he was still saving up money to get his own vehicle (though he'd probably get one faster if he didn't take out fifty or so dollars to get a new video game every two months). His parents weren't quite as cheap as Sam's father, but they insisted on him being responsible.

He rubbed his nose; it was starting to itch from all the flowers Mr. Witwicky insisted on planting everywhere. He happened to be allergic to probably at least half of them. 'Stupid pollen.'

He saw Sam come out of the house and then throw the bags into a dumpster. He then made his way over to the garage. Miles's nose was still itching, but he managed to hold back his sneeze for now.

"Hey Bee!" He heard Sam say. 'Bee? What the heck?' Miles's eyebrow twitched just a bit when he saw Sam walk up to his car and stroke its hood. "Are you ready for that waxing?" He seemed to have a smile on his face as he petted his car.

Miles, on the other hand, was not smiling, and he couldn't help but worry about his friend's sanity. 'Why is he talking to it as if it could talk back?'

"_Every where and every time, I am yours and you are mine!"_ The car, which had been _off, _crooned loudly from its radio. Miles_ swore it had been off _and_ 'OH GOD WHAT IS IT DOING?!' _

He didn't dare make a sound as he saw with frightened eyes that the car wasn't exactly a car any more. The Camaro's form had twisted and molded into something that looked like a giant freaky robot, complete with glowing eyes and everything. It was still yellow, but it was also black and there were cables and pulleys everywhere that allowed the machine to move. For Miles, it was all too much. He wanted to run, but he didn't want to leave his friend behind. Didn't he know what giant robots could do to him?! It probably was holding Sam hostage or something, making him do things for him and not allowing him to have a normal social life like the others! And if he didn't do what it told him, he'd squish him with one big stomp of his foot!

Miles, convinced by his paranoia, was about to take off and call 911 or _someone_ for help, when his nose began to itch even more. 'Oh no…' He couldn't hold it back.

With a mighty sneeze, he lost his balance and fell backwards onto his back. His eyes were closed, but he could hear the startled clicks he assumed were from the robot and the startled yell from Sam and his pounding footsteps as he raced out of the garage.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the end of a barrel of a plasma-charged cannon where the robot's hand used to be pointing at his face. All he could say as he saw Sam's panicked face was, "uh, hey Sam, want to play some SSBB?"

* * *

At the NEST base in Diego Garcia, Optimus sat at his own personal desk within his office. All of the Autobots had their own designated areas; such as Ratchet with his med bay, Ironhide had his shooting range that he frequented with Will, Bumblebee had his room (next to where Sam stayed each time he was there), Sideswipe had his own room which he hoped to share with his brother Sunstreaker (if he ever made it to Earth that is), Arcee stayed somewhere close by Ratchet's med bay (as she sometimes assisted him if he needed it), Jolt had a room near by the exercise track that Mudflap and Skids hung out by, and Prowl, still depressed, rarely used his room and instead spent many restless nights patrolling the base or haunting the med bay.

Optimus had a painful overload of his sensors within his head (the human equivalent being a headache) and it wasn't getting any better. Since he had seen Sam back at the corn field and held his hand, he had been thinking a lot, worrying, putting stress on his chassis. He couldn't stop thinking about it and it was causing him to recharge less often, which had angered Ratchet a bit. After some creative threats on the medic's part, Optimus began to recharge more often like he was supposed to. However, he still thought about it and replayed the scene in his head.

When he (in his holographic form) had grasped Sam's hand in his, he hadn't expected the sharp, yet pleasant feel of a spark nipping at their joined hands. He had not felt it, he hadn't! He was Optimus Prime, a direct descendant of the original Primes and he could _not _be slated to have a human as his sparkmate. Sam was an amazing young man, but Optimus couldn't take what little normalcy he had away from him. He was thankful to have what little he had left, and if the Prime didn't even let him have that, Sam would be deeply upset.

And he couldn't have Sam upset. Seeing him in that condition made his spark twist in sadness for the boy, who was losing the person he loved most. Sam was only his friend and an organic with a life expectancy roughly around the same as one vorn (83 human years). Optimus was millions of years old already, and Sam had so much he hadn't experienced yet. It just couldn't be possible.

'It was nothing more than static. It was _not _the spark signal.' He didn't want to believe it, so for now he'd pretend that he felt nothing then… even though his spark was screaming in protest.

* * *

Back at the Witwicky residence-

"M-Miles! What are you doing here?!" Sam's voice got high-pitched as he yelled- a sign that he was very nervous. He waved a hand at the robot, which backed down and retracted his cannon-arm, which had put a hole through the wall.

"Never mind why I came here, what the heck was that!" Miles pointed towards the garage. "Your- your car turned into a r-robot!"

Sam grabbed Miles by the arm and yanked him up so that he was standing upright. "Be quiet, okay!" He looked all around, thankfully only one person was out and they were jogging while blaring music from their portable music player on the other side of the street. He sighed in relief and shoved Miles's bag into his arms. "Let's just get into the house all right?" He looked towards the garage and whispered, "Bee, just stay hidden all right? I'll be back out soon."

There was a disappointed whine, which made Miles stare in shocked silence as he was dragged off into the house. Finally, after being seated on the Witwicky's comfortable couch in the living room, Miles just stared at Sam in numb silence until he asked, "what… happened to your car?!"

Sam looked very uncomfortable, even though he was sitting on a soft armchair. He swallowed the small amount of spit that accumulated in his mouth and inquired, "Do you remember when I called you two years ago and told you how I had 'Satan's Camaro' and that it was stalking me?"

Miles's eyes widened. "I thought you were kidding!"

"I wasn't. But everything as I knew it changed. My car turned out to be called a Cybertronian from the planet Cybertron, or rather Autobot- use that term, they really don't like 'freaky alien robot-'" seeing the look on Miles's face, he hastily added, "no don't worry, Autobots are _nice_. There are quite a couple of them staying on Earth and they have protected me from the Decepticons, which aren't the nice guys. They kind of hate me right now for stopping them time and again from destroying the world."

"Mission City," Miles breathed. When he saw Sam's nod, he thought quickly. "And the whole problem with the pyramids in Egypt?"

Sam looked away. "They were trying to blow up the sun in order to harvest energy for consumption, its called energon- it's what they need to survive. The Autobots and this team of military personnel from the United States and the United Kingdom called NEST all worked together along with some Jordanian soldiers against the Decepticons to stop them."

Miles took a few minutes to digest it. It all seemed too unreal, but actually seeing Sam's car transform, plus the damages from Mission City and Egypt, could not be ignored. "And what did you have to do with all those battles?"

"I had coordinates to something called the AllSpark. They were on my great-grandfather's glasses because he found the leader of the Decepticons called Megatron. The AllSpark is a cube that holds practically infinite power, among other things. We had to keep it away from them, and I ended up killing Megatron with it. There were two shards left over, one was under protection by the American government, and the other was in my sweatshirt that I was wearing that day. I didn't find it until two years after, when it fell out. So the Decepticons went after the other shard, got it, and revived Megatron. He came after me, because when I saw the shard that fell out of my sweatshirt, I got all the information from the cube imprinted in my brain. This old Decepticon who used to be a Prime is known as the Fallen, and he basically told Megatron to get me so they could get that information. They wanted that information to find where this energy harvesting machine was located, etc." Sam took a long, deep breath. His mouth was so dry.

Getting up, he stretched. "I need to get something to drink, you want anything?"

Miles wordlessly unzipped his backpack and took out a few bottles of Mountain Dew. "Here," he tossed one to Sam. "I know it's not particularly healthy, but this might help."

Sam caught it and took a sip, it soothed his throat somewhat. "Thanks. Anyway, so they wanted that information, so a freaky Decepticon disguised itself as a girl named Alice, who tried to tongue rape me, Mikaela shows up, gets pissed, but we end up killing it. Then Megatron I find out is actually _not so dead_ anymore, and he uses some freaky little Decepticon to try and cut my head open. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, and my guardian aka my car (named Bumblebee) comes to rescue me."

Miles leaned in. "Then what happened?"

"Bumblebee took Leo (my roommate) and Mikaela away to safety, and Optimus took me away into a forest where he started to fight Megatron and other 'cons who were after me." His knees were shaking a bit, and he felt his eyes begin to water. He rubbed at them, so that Miles wouldn't see. "Long story short… Optimus died defending me and I got away alive. Then I spent hours running around the world, eventually finding something called the Matrix of Leadership, and after I died for about five minutes-"

He was interrupted by Miles, who yelled, "You DIED?"

Sam nodded. "I did. It was almost surreal. But the oldest Cybertronians, the Primes, brought me back. I used the Matrix to bring Optimus back to life and he killed the Fallen and kicked Megatron's ass. The other Decepticons were either killed or brutally injured by our soldiers and the Autobots. So then the fight was over, Megatron escaped with the other surviving Decepticons and it can be assumed that the creep will probably come back to kill me."

Miles just gaped at him. "Are… are you okay with that? Dude, do your _PARENTS_ even know?! I mean, I don't think I could have come out of that alright!"

"Yeah, they do." Sam's smile turned into a grimace. "Believe me, they aren't happy about that. But they believe that as long as the Autobots are around, they will do their best to keep me safe. I feel safer when they're around, in any case." He leaned back in his chair, feeling an ache in his spine from bending his back for an extended period of time. "So… now you know what I've been going through for the past few years." He looked down at his hands. "I can understand if you don't want to be around me anymore, but please, please don't tell anyone else. It's bad enough everyone in the world now knows my face and name (and some of them even tried to call the cops on me because of what the Fallen said!), but keeping my friends secret has been the biggest challenge the government and I have faced." He set his gaze on Miles, whose light eyes stared back into his. "I can't lose them."

The staring match lasted about a minute before Miles blinked, and his expression changed from shocked surprise to seriousness. "Who the heck would I tell, Sam? You're the best friend I have- practically the only real friend I have. All of this kind of explains why you were absent so often." Exhaling, Miles put his head in his hands. "It kind of made me upset, you know. I thought you forgot me."

Sam felt awful. He hadn't really been much of a good friend to Miles for a long time. He put his hand on Miles's shoulder, and Miles looked up at him. "I'm sorry I was being such a horrible friend. I'd never try to forget you, you know. I felt bad because I wasn't there for you, but now that you know… You're kind of stuck with us. You can meet the Autobots, if you want. I'll have to tell the former Secretary of Defense (now the Autobot-Human Relations Secretary) that you know now anyway."

Miles's jaw dropped. "You know THE Secretary of- oh screw that, I want to meet all of these Autobots and the people you know. I'm in this for the long run, so I'm going to get comfortable while I can." He crossed his arms and playfully smiled. "And right now, I think that some Super Smash Brothers Brawl sounds like fun."

Laughing in relief, Sam felt so much lighter. He had hated keeping everything a secret from Miles. He had been his best friend for years, and not getting to tell one of the people he cared about weighed heavily on his consciousness. But now, things were looking up just a bit. Grinning, he nodded. "That sounds like fun, but first and foremost, I promised 'Bee that I'd give him a waxing. He'll whine if he doesn't get his special treatment." He got up off the chair, but Miles grabbed his hand. When he turned to look at him in questioning, Miles shrugged.

"I thought it might be better if I helped, plus you could… reintroduce me, since I had no idea the sweet car I've been taking rides in happens to be a giant alien ro- Autobot," he corrected himself while he looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Plus it's kind of awkward that the first time I actually saw his real form happened to involve a cannon to the face."

Sam laughed, remembering when _he'd_ gotten a cannon to the face, courtesy of Ironhide. "All right. I'll introduce you to Bee, then." He led his friend outside; feeling like the day had just gotten brighter.

* * *

After about an hour and a half of waxing and chatter, a tired Sam trooped into the Witwicky's kitchen, followed by Miles. The meeting had gone better than Sam thought it would, though at first Miles was kind of skittish around Bumblebee, but it became better after Bumblebee worked his magic and charmed Miles through use of the radio. Miles, seeing Bumblebee as a friend now, approved of him as a guardian and told him so. Bumblebee glowed at the praise and reveled in the attention he received from the two boys. So after carefully waxing Bumblebee's exterior, the two bid him goodnight and went inside. It was around eight o'clock in the evening, and both were extremely hungry.

Luckily for them, Judy had prepared dinner while they had been out, and during the course of the meal, a long-winded explanation was given to Sam's parents that Miles now knew of the existence of the Cybertronians. While they hadn't taken it bad, Judy just had to ask (though politely) how his parents were doing, which prompted an answer from Miles explaining that they would not be home for Thanksgiving (but he was so fine, of course he was). Her response, which seemed almost flippant (in the sense that it was given so quickly), stunned him:

"Why don't you come with us then to the base? Sam's dead set on being there and we'll be cooking up a storm for those hungry soldiers (poor people probably haven't had a decent meal in a while), and you can spend time with us."

Miles felt some blood rush to his cheeks. "That'd be great, but, I mean, I'm not that special… I don't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense!" Judy interjected. "You're practically like family; you know I missed having you around these past few years. It won't be any trouble, and I know it'll make Sam happy." She grinned. "Besides, you'll be helping us cook Thanksgiving dinner, so I'll need all the help I can get!"

Sam put his face into his palms and groaned. "It'll be great having you around Miles, but mom is really going to overwork us… just wait until she makes you cut up the turkey's heart!" He shuddered and made a face depicting disgust. "Gross."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Oh for Pete's sake, you boys love playing your gory video games but you can't even cut up a bird's heart. Shameful, isn't it Ron?" When she didn't hear her reply she looked at her husband, who had the _exact _same facial expression as Sam. "Ron!"

"I don't particularly care for either of those things," he gruffly muttered, trying to mask his distaste by mashing his already mashed potatoes into grainier, tiny bits.

Judy just sighed. Sam got his dislike for butchering things from his father, who would rather plant flowers than go hunting. She loved him, but sometimes he was just so silly.

Turning to Miles, she asked, "I trust you aren't as much of a child as those two _boys_ over there?"

Miles grinned. "Leave it to me, Mrs. Witwicky. I've got the steadiest hands and an iron stomach to boot!"

"You should like Ratchet then, he's the medic and he'd probably love to babble on and on about medical procedures with you, since you like them and watching those doctor shows so much," Sam cheerfully said.

Miles's light blue-gray eyes brightened. "You think so?"

He got a smile as an answer. "I know so."

After dinner was finished, Miles had to head home quick to pack more clothes for the trip. To his delight, Sam went with him in Bumblebee, who absolutely gleamed from the hood to the bumper. They made it there and back in relatively short time, and soon arrived back at Sam's house. From there, many battles took place in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, as well as in other games. It wasn't until around three in the morning that they both went to sleep.

* * *

After being woken up around nine in the morning, the boys slowly got up and did their morning rituals before eating breakfast. Judy, who had actually gotten to bed at a decent hour, was much more cheerful than her son and his friend. Ron was also more awake, but had insisted on tending his precious yard before he'd even touched one spoonful of his breakfast. It took time, but eventually they were on the road before 11 AM on their way to the special military base where they'd get on to the aircraft carrier that would take them to the Autobot's base. Mojo and Frankie rode with Sam's parents in their vehicle, while Sam and Miles gleefully rode with Bumblebee, who kept playing random songs that hit his fancy (and he managed to rick roll Miles once, which made the boy curse).

After dominating the highway with his agility, Bumblebee had made it to the base five minutes before Sam's parents, who had gotten stuck at a few traffic lights behind them a while back. They had gotten clearance easily, and after Sam's parents caught up with them, they made their way onto the carrier. Bumblebee didn't have much room to move around obviously, but did not mind as Sam and Miles took a much-appreciated nap on his seats. Sam was curled up in the driver's seat, while Miles was snoozing in the backseat.

Judy, who saw this, smiled at the sight and petted Bumblebee's hood. "I think this is going to be a good Thanksgiving, don't you?"

Bumblebee purred eagerly in response. He thought so too.

* * *

Many hours later, they finally made it to the base, and were greeted by former Secretary of Defense John Keller, who looked at Miles with his eyebrows raised, but none the less greeted him. Sam took him aside and explained the situation, hoping that the aging man wouldn't mind that he had told. Keller had listened to him until he was finished, and gave him his two cents- it was fine since he had discovered Bumblebee's true form by accident; however Miles would have to sign copious amounts of paperwork as well as swear to say nothing to no one (his parents would have to wait to be informed until they came home), and talked about a whole bunch of other legal jargon that Sam wouldn't remember the next day. While Keller wasn't the Secretary anymore (since there was a new secretary and Galloway as the President's security advisor), he still had an important place within the government, and plenty of influence. Since the incident at Mission City, he had personally vouched for Sam and the Autobots having a place of their own, that and Will's team also gave their opinion. Thanks to him and Lennox, they had their base. All that mattered to Sam right now was that Miles was allowed to stay there with them.

So after that talk, they all began their trek onto the premises. Immediately, Sam noticed a black and white police car driving around the area, and he almost shouted in alarm before he remembered that it was the newest Autobot, Prowl. He wanted to go over to him, but he drove away before Sam could introduce himself. Somewhat hurt, Sam decided that he'd leave the Cybertronian alone until he was ready to speak with him and instead went inside the huge main building, which had several different floors.

They were on the main floor, which had the hangar where Optimus had spoken to Galloway, along with the Autobot hangar on the right side (where they could change alternate forms if they desired, or rest), as well as Ratchet's medical bay. On the left side of the main floor in the building, there were offices for higher-ranking officials in NEST's forces, and a medical bay for the soldiers. On the second floor, there was a cafeteria, recreational rooms for the human residents, and a small library, where one could read or relax. The third floor was small, mainly for communications, though there was a shop, a laundry room, and a deck where one could look up at the stars. The basement held bunkers in case of emergency as well as the heating and cooling systems for the buildings, backup generators, and extra weapons in a secure vault. There was also a small jail, in case of trouble with human enemies or within NEST personnel.

The other buildings on base consisted of the soldiers' barracks, the Autobot barracks, large weapons building (conveniently located by the shooting range) which held Ironhide's things, tanks, bazookas, etc, air and land vehicle garage, security office, vehicle repair/services building, other supply houses, and numerous small weapons sheds and safe houses. All in all, the base was huge and well-stocked, and there was always a polite or friendly soldier to speak to stationed somewhere. And it was hard to miss an Autobot wandering or driving around.

The first Autobot they met with was Sideswipe, who had been in his new alt mode, which happened to be a red Lamborghini. Firmly believing that his brother would come back to him, he decided keeping his old appearance of a scarlet shade would make sure that Sunstreaker wouldn't confuse him for another bot, such as the deceased Jazz, like Prowl did. He had liked his silver Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept alt mode, but he didn't like the depressed look Prowl had each time he saw him, as if he had just come out of recharge and had been convinced that Jazz's death had been something out of a human nightmare. So he changed his look, and he was happier, especially since Sam and the others had arrived. He revved his engine happily to greet them, noting with interest the new arrival of Miles, who he'd only seen in pictures Sam showed him. The two were introduced, and everything was going smoothly. Bumblebee went off to associate with Sideswipe after Sam reassured him that he'd be fine without him, and they continued on.

Miles was soon introduced (and Sam embraced) by the other Autobots, as he had said a hello to Arcee, whose sister units were repaired, had been impressed by Ironhide's cannons, chatted with Mudflap and Skids, and shyly met up with the blue Autobot called Jolt, who Sam did not know as well as the others. Jolt seemed to enjoy Miles's company, and the two talked a great deal before Sam dragged him away to meet Ratchet and Optimus.

They met up with the two of them in Ratchet's medical bay, where Ratchet seemed to be arguing with the Prime. Sam, concerned, ran up to the two of them. "Ratchet, what's the matter with Optimus?"

The two hadn't noticed their presence until Sam spoke, so Ratchet nearly dropped his favorite wrench in surprise. "Sam! It is good to see you are well-" he refrained from speaking the last sentence until after he'd scanned Sam's body for abnormalities- "and Optimus is being nothing more than a stubborn glitch-head. Other than that, he is fine." His keen eyes noted the human being standing next to Sam. "You brought company?"

Sam smiled. "You two, this is my friend Miles Lancaster, one of my oldest friends and a not-so-average video gaming, medicine-studying guy. He accidentally saw Bumblebee transform, got the whole explanation, was gonna be alone for Thanksgiving, so my mom insisted we take him with us. I also got clearance with Keller, so everything is cool as long as he doesn't blab." He sneezed, then added, "anyway, Miles, the one that is standing is Ratchet. He is the medic as I said, and knows more about Cybertronian anatomy than you and I ever will. He's also learned a lot about human anatomy as well. The one on the table is the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime."

"Nice to meet you both," Miles politely said. "It was nice to actually see the faces to go along with the names Sam mentioned so often last night." He shook Ratchet's finger first.

Ratchet knelt to see him properly. "My name is Ratchet; it is a pleasure to meet you. Sam says you're interested in learning about medicine?"

Miles nodded. "I find it really interesting. I wanted to be a doctor, but I couldn't afford tuition for college."

Optimus shook Miles's finger next. "A friend of Sam's is a friend of mine, and welcome to NEST's base," he said in a welcoming tone. Miles seemed somewhat intimidated by Optimus, but loosened up after the Autobot's statement. Miles also had no trouble speaking to Ratchet, who was delighted (as Sam said) to talk to someone about what he knew of human medicine, as well as Cybertronian medicine. Sam watched them wander off, a smile on his face. 'Miles really seems to like it here.'

"It has been a while, Sam."

He was started out of his thoughts by the Prime's deep voice. He looked up and saw Optimus lean down and hold his servo palm up, close to the ground. Sam took the invitation and climbed on, and was brought up and close to his chest. "Yeah, I know. How've you been, big guy?" He remembered what Ratchet said and added, "You're sure you are all right?"

Optimus sighed. "I am _fine_, Sam, though I have missed your company. How are you doing?" He hoped his audial sensors (they controlled his ability to speak) weren't making his voice quiver. He could hardly hold still, as Sam had a hold of him. A small burst of electricity from Sam's hand jumped to the 'bot and raced up towards his spark casing, where his spark happily greeted the surge of affectionate energy. 'It was merely a fluke, that's all,' he tried to convince himself, but was failing miserably as other small shocks traveled from Sam's touch up Optimus's arm.

Sam frowned at Optimus's petulant tone but decided to ignore it for now, along with the tickle he had in his palms. For some odd reason they felt energized, almost like he had the urge to scratch something (like a cat does). When he touched the cool metal of Optimus's fingers, his hands seemed to lose the tingling sensation and exit via his fingertips. Very odd, but Sam decided to answer Optimus instead of ponder it. "I'm all right, still kind of sleepy though."

"Why is that?" The Autobot leader questioned, trying in vain not to show his discomfort, which seemed redundant in itself since his spark found the tingles to be pleasurable- but _that_ caused him distress. Until he actually accepted it, he would be stuck in the vicious forces of denial.

"I just have been going to bed late is all. I didn't get enough sleep in last night because Miles and I played some video games for a few hours. Kind of silly of us, but it was fun at the time." Sam scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I took a nap earlier on the aircraft carrier, which seemed to help."

Optimus hummed an affirmative reply. "I see."

From Sam's viewpoint, Optimus had a very noncommittal response. Tilting his head to the side, Sam crossed his arms and looked the bot up and down, trying to figure out why he was acting different than he normally was.

The Ratchet-like surveying of his body seemed to make Optimus uncomfortable, because he asked, "what? Is there something foreign on my chassis?"

Sam snorted while trying not to laugh. "Hahaha… no, but I wanted to ask you…" He rubbed his chest, trying to calm his breathing. "You know you can talk to me if you need to, right? You have always listened to me, so I want to do the same for you." He put his arms around two of Optimus's fingers- a small hug. "You don't need to hide it if something's bothering you." He stared up into Optimus's face, chocolate brown human eyes meeting bright luminous blue optics. All was silent for what seemed like forever, while Optimus assessed the human saying, 'the eyes are windows to the soul,' he found it to be correct. Sam's eyes showed nothing but honesty and true compassion for him.

…It made his spark burn brighter than ever before with happiness.

Optimus formed a smile, one Sam found to be quite breathtaking, since he had rarely seen him smile in his true Cybertronian form. "Thank you Sam. You honor me with your friendship."

Sam blushed, feeling hot under the collar of his shirt. "Y-you're welcome. It's an honor to know you."

A companionable silence was then formed; the two content not to say much more or at least neither of them knew what to say. The silence was broken when Ratchet wandered back in, with Miles following obediently, avidly discussing what sounded like surgical tools. Ratchet turned to Optimus and raised one metal eyebrow. "Well, you seem to be doing better, Optimus, so would you and Sam mind getting out of my med bay?"

"All right. Let us be on our way then Sam." The two left, both not noticing the knowing smile on Ratchet and Miles's faces.

* * *

The rest of that day had been spent socializing with the Autobots as well as Will's team. Miles had liked both Will and Epps upon meeting them, and even challenged the two to some pretty intense Brawl matches. Pretty soon, other soldiers joined in, and the best part of that night resulted in even the somewhat stiff Keller playing one match, as R.O.B. He ended up winning that match, leaving the others speechless.

He had replied, "What? Even an older man like me can still find time to enjoy a good game."

Later, they consumed dinner, and Judy nagged Sam to set his alarm clock for early the next morning. Both he and Miles groaned when they were woken up around seven AM, and after showering and dressing, made their way to the cafeteria, where Judy was already busy. They also found to their amusement both Will and Epps being put to work- Will's sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he had flour all over his hands. Epps was wearing an apron which had some dough splattered on it, and Ron came into the kitchen holding the **biggest** turkey Sam had ever seen (and then he brought in a couple more). They were in for a looong day.

Sam was put in charge of helping to make the dressing, while Miles assisted in mashing the potatoes. It took many minutes of labor, but hours later, the tables were set and the food was ready.

On those tables lied a few turkeys, seasoned and browned to perfection from Judy's and Ron's attention. There were mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes (both prepared by Miles), bread rolls handmade by Will and Epps, cranberry jelly donated by Keller, dressing that Sam slaved over a hot stove to make, green beans and gravy made by Fig, some sliced ham from Simmons's family meat shop, a spring greens salad mixed up by Maggie, and finally, some fruit salad that Glen had finished making.

The tables outside the main building were garnished with some festive tablecloths, napkins, and some candles. The soldiers then filed towards where the food was being served- and for every soldier that they saw, they received many more thanks and kind words. The soldiers, who were away from their homes and families, missed home cooking and food being served by friendly faces, and were very grateful for what they were getting. Then once everyone had food, they went outside to the tables where they could eat while seeing the Autobots- and celebrate the holiday with them.

The multiple tables, long in length and short in width, had the glow of the late afternoon sun dawning on them all. The soldiers and civilians all had relaxed postures, but not too far away lied their loaded firearms, just in case of attack. When the Autobots made their way outside to greet them, a sense of togetherness and utter calm descended upon everyone as they stood in a circle around them.

John Keller stood up first, with his wine glass full. His aging face held deep wrinkles, but more wisdom than years past. His grayish white hair now had streaks of silver, and some patches were missing. Never the less, he had not lost any of his commanding presence, his voice was loud and clear for everyone to hear.

"Soldiers, civilians, human and Autobot alike, we are gathered here today to celebrate one of our holidays, Thanksgiving. It is a time where we come together, and while many of us may be separated from our loved ones, we still have our brothers and sisters, our comrades at arms, as our second family. Here we may celebrate our companionship, our health, our duty to our countries, our beloved planet Earth, and the stars beyond it. We give thanks to those who would protect us-" he looked at the Autobots as he said this- "and those who we protect in turn-" he gazed at Sam and his family, along with the other civilians- "as we continue to work for peace and prosperity between our two races." He looked at the soldiers, then everyone else around him. "It is customary for us to speak of what we are thankful for, and I would like to for all of us to raise our glasses and shout it loud, so that no one is unheard."

He raised his higher. "We are thankful for peace!"

A great many soldiers stood up with glasses of their own drinks and echoed his comment, Arcee and Sideswipe nodding approvingly and Simmons clapping enthusiastically.

Sam stood up as well, holding a glass of carbonated fruit juice (he wasn't old enough to drink yet), and said, "We are thankful for family and friends, whether they are Cybertronian or human!" Will, Epps, and Sam's parents stood up, everyone cheered, and Bumblebee crowed happily. Ironhide clapped a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder, his mouthplates forming a smile.

Miles got up in a rare fit of courage and shouted, "We are thankful for our health and our lives!" Ratchet raised a barrel of oil, clearly agreeing with him, and Jolt did as well. Medical workers from the human med bay were standing among them, cheering.

Optimus decided to give it a turn. "We are all thankful that we are allowed to be here, and all of you for being wonderful comrades inside and outside of battle." He looked over at them all, noting every brave face, and committing them to memory. They may not be related, but they were practically part of his expanding family. Finally, his optics centered on Sam, who was still standing tall and proud. "And I am thankful to Sam, who has done so much for our races, and saved my life."

All eyes were on Sam, who turned a bright red as resounding echoes of "thank you Sam!" "Way to go kid!" and "Good job!" erupted from all around him. He didn't think he had ever felt so appreciated in his life, though at the same time he was somewhat embarrassed.

"Now everyone, it is time to feast to your heart's content, however let us all have a moment of silence for all of our fallen comrades, who fought with us for what they believed in- true peace, and defense from hostile attack by Decepticons." As Keller said this, it was noted that Prowl, who had a sober expression on his facial plates, looked down at his feet, clearly remembering and mourning his fallen sparkmate, Jazz. Sam had seen the motion, and felt guilt gnaw at his insides, like vultures ripping at road kill. He hadn't known Jazz very long, but the friendly bot had made a lasting impression on him, and he felt as if some part of it were his fault. He vowed to speak to Prowl, and find some way to bring Jazz back. If it was possible to bring back Optimus and Megatron, couldn't Jazz also be saved? He needed to find a solution.

After the silence passed, the feasting and merrymaking began, smiles bloomed on many faces, and talking amongst both Cybertronians and humans was abundant. Miles was animatedly speaking with Jolt, Ratchet supervised Ironhide's and Sideswipe's gasoline drinking contest (and threatening to throw a wrench at anyone who was sick all over the concrete), Arcee was content to speak with some female soldiers, Prowl surveyed the skies, Mudflap was talking about some of his greatest pranks with Fig, while Skids was attempting to draw more attention to him. Bumblebee happily hummed renditions of _Meadows of Heaven_, making Sam laugh at the bot's attempts to recreate one of Nightwish's masterpieces through his vocal chords.

And Optimus stood and took in it all, feeling at peace. He didn't know it, but anyone could see that something more than friendly affection was being shown in his eyes when he saw Sam's smile. What they could see, was love. The Autobot didn't know it yet, but he would eventually. For now, he was content to watch the unity between humans and Cybertronians grow stronger. He would be undoubtedly sad when Sam had to leave later the next day, but he would see him again soon. He couldn't stay away from him long, after all. The bond between them was growing stronger with each passing day… and like it or not, it would not be hidden from enemy or friendly eyes.

It was just a matter of time.

End of chapter three

* * *

**AngelicCrossplay**: You know, I really spoil all of you. 25 pages in Word. HOLY KITTEN CALENDARS! I think I'm going to go puke kittens and rainbows now, from all the painful headaches I had planning and typing this chapter. It would've been done sooner, but I had multiple interruptions. Nightwish is one of my favorite bands by the way~!

**Song used**: Touchdown turnaround by Hellogoodbye.

**POINTS TO MAKE**: Yes, these are important. You should all be reading A/Ns. Thanksgiving is an important holiday here in the United States, and many of the dishes that were used in the description is what my family makes. It's all very delicious, and we do give thanks, I thought it would be nice to have a scene of bonding… Anyway, yes, Miles is going to be in this quite frequently, just as Leo and Mikaela will. Is Leo going to be paired with any Autobots? **No**. Will Mikaela? **No**. Miles? **Maybe**. I don't know why, but I could see it happening (but he wouldn't be paired with Ratchet). I really wanted to develop Miles's character more, since he wasn't in the 2007 movie for very long. I could see him playing videogames (I have loved the SSB franchise since the first game on the N64), and thought that with those button-mashing fingers of his, he could be adept at using surgical tools. WHY NOT MAKE HIM LIKE MEDICINE?! Don't like it? Too bad. He's going to stay and this is how my twisted mind works. Also, Keller will be staying in this because I happened to like him as well as Simmons, since he redeemed himself (though I still will not forgive Bay for showing his ass). From all this crap I keep doing, I definitely foresee a sequel to this fanfic. What did I get myself into?! **Facepalm **Please review, so I can go to sleep happy tonight~! I love hearing from each and every one of you.


	4. December Part I

**AngelicCrossplay**: Thank you all for being so awesome!!! I never thought I'd get 20+ reviews per chapter for this fic! AND OMG 104 ALERTS, 68 FAVORITES, posted in FIVE c2s. YOU GUYS HAVE WON MY HEART. **Starts dancing in glee**

**Dedication**- the readers, thank you all. I appreciate every comment, favorite, and alert. **Grins **It helps a person heal from surgery, after all. Also, to my friend whom I affectionately call Feliks- thank you for reading my dear, even though you don't ship OP/Sam. XD

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Transformers_, that honor belongs to Hasbro, Paramount Pictures, Michael Bay, etc. I also do not own the song lyrics that I use.

**Things That You'll Read**: the end of a certain couple's relationship, more friendship moments, INDIGESTION (upset stomach, dia- ok, I'll stop), more Optimus denial (THEN ACCEPTANCE, HO SHIT), freaky dreams, holiday shopping, arrival at the base, and more in part TWO. KEEP AN OPEN MIND IN THESE CHAPTERS. Things will happen and some of you may or may not like it. XD

**Note**: I will be attending a convention called Anime Iowa in August, so last minute cosplay work will take away from my writing time. (If you'll be there, I'll be the Zexion from Kingdom Hearts: ReCoM performing with the rest of the Organization at the half time show! Aka a shorty in a sexy black coat and purplish-silver wig. I am also going to be Bloody!Zack Fair and one of the Muses from Hercules) I will, however, try to get another chapter out before my birthday (August 7th, woohoo!).

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter Four: December PART ONE**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"_Song lyrics"_

At Mikaela's House-

Normal POV

It was around seven PM at night, and Mikaela had had an especially trying day at work at the garage that she was employed with her father. She had to deal with some grubby older men who tried to hit on her, _again_, and no matter how many times she told them she wasn't interested, they still managed to make at least one comment. That is, until a small blue RC truck screeched from the garage and drove out to wherever they were, and fiercely rammed into their legs, making ear-splitting noises, probably curses in Cybertronian (she had no other explanation for it).

They'd scatter off, all muttering about crazy kids and stubborn women while walking away to the nearest bar. Mikaela had smirked as they left, feeling increasingly more appreciative of her self-proclaimed guardian, the ex-Decepticon Wheelie, who was becoming a good friend to her (albeit a perverted one).

Later, when no one was looking, she bent down from beside her worktable and picked up the little truck, and gave it an affectionate kiss on the hood. Of course, she knew she'd never feel _that_ way for Wheelie, but she couldn't help but indulge him a little- he'd protected her from those nasty men, hadn't he? So everything was fine.

Oddly enough, her father never really noticed the fact that his daughter was being hit on, being too lost in his own world of vehicle repair, making up for his mistakes in the past. She couldn't blame him for it, as he was trying hard to make an honest living, and she didn't want him to end up in jail again (by assaulting the men for touching her). Wheelie was doing a good job, so she would settle for that. Her father had been briefed on the existence of Cybertronians after he'd accidentally seen Wheelie (in RC form) toast a large spider with a laser that popped out of the little truck's trunk bed. It had taken a lot of explanation, a small bribe (aka a nice check) and cajoling on her part (along with Sam and Keller) to make sure he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Her father decided he would be fine with it as long as nothing happened to his daughter (he threatened to do worse than what Mikaela had done to Wheelie's eye if he did anything), so Wheelie stayed.

She had dinner after they closed up- it was the first Saturday of December, and they closed early on Saturdays- around three PM. Shortly after that, she had done a lot of cleaning around the house, and then cooked dinner for her and her father. Wheelie had helped her, getting her ingredients for the dishes she was making, and helping to clean up after her. While she and her father ate, he'd settled for making funny faces at Bones, who just drooled onto the floor as he watched the little bot entertain Mikaela.

And after cleaning up, the two trooped upstairs, and Mikaela had been more tired than she thought, as she'd fallen asleep curled up on her bed. Wheelie, who had been entertaining himself by playing online games, was pulled out of his fun time when he heard the honk of a car. Rolling over to the window, he noticed it happened to be from a very familiar Autobot. The human, Sam, or rather, Wheelie's competition for Mikaela's heart had arrived, looking worried and somewhat nervous. Clearly he had something to say to Mikaela.

Wheelie sighed and looked at the clock. Eight PM- she'd only been asleep for an hour. He didn't really want to wake her up because he knew she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but if he didn't Sam would come up into her room, and he felt that was _not_ necessary.

Crossing over to her bed, he lightly placed a servo (hand) on Mikaela's shoulder and shook her gently. "Warrior Goddess, wake up. Your boy toy is here."

It took about a minute or so before she actually opened her eyes. Yawning, she asked, "Wheelie, what's going on?"

Wheelie frowned. "I thought you'd like to know that your boy t- I mean, the Witwicky boy is here, Warrior Goddess." He pointed out towards the window, where the dark sky was being lit up by the moon.

Mikaela looked down, long full lashes fluttering as she sighed softly. "I see. I know what he's here for." She moved across her bed until she was sitting upright on the edge, and pulled on the winter jacket that she'd tossed on the end of the bed. It was thin, but warm. She also put on gloves and some boots that were lined with fake fur. She did not like being cold, and it cooled down during the nights.

Wheelie watched her get dressed in her light winter outerwear and saw her solemn face. "Warrior Goddess, is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine Wheelie, but I'll be gone for a little while, okay? I should be back soon." She gave him a brave smile then left the room, going down the stairs past her father's room (where she could hear heavy snoring) and exiting via a side door. She walked up to Sam, who looked somewhat relieved, yet apprehensive.

There was no exchanging of hugs or kisses between them, but stiff formalities as she mouthed something Wheelie could not hear. She climbed into the passenger seat, and it was with a heavy spark that Wheelie watched them drive off into the night.

If she was so sure everything would be alright, then why did he know she'd come home brokenhearted? It troubled him. Wheelie got up onto her bed and perched near the window sill, where he'd keep a vigilant lookout for his Warrior Goddess. He'd wait, and when she came home sad, he would do his best to make her feel better.

* * *

Sam had asked Bumblebee to drive him to Mikaela's house earlier that Saturday, after the bot had kindly picked up Friday night and driven him home. Sam did not want to break up with Mikaela over the phone or via web chat- she deserved better than that. So he gathered up his courage, and asked Bumblebee to take him to her, so he could talk to her properly.

The bot knew what Sam had to tell her- he wasn't born a solar cycle ago, after all. No one knew Sam better than him; except for maybe Miles (he had years on Bumblebee, but not experience in battle with Sam). So he purred some soft classical music to help calm Sam's nerves, continuing even when both Sam and Mikaela were in the car, hoping that it would dissolve some of the tension.

He drove them to the lookout, where once upon a time two years previous they'd kissed against his hood. Those times were long gone now.

The two got out, and then walked about fifteen feet away and began to talk, Bumblebee waiting patiently for their return as he turned his audio sensors down low, to give them privacy, but kept his security sensors on an all-time high.

Meanwhile, with Sam and Mikaela, the former took a deep breath and was about to speak when the latter put one finger on his soft lips and shook her head.

"I know what you're about to tell me, and its okay." Mikaela's blue eyes held beautiful understanding within, which Sam wanted so badly to take and wrap himself in. It was comforting, the hands holding his and squeezing tight, but not too tight. But he couldn't bring himself to feel completely happy that he was about to break her heart even more.

"But I feel so bad. I know that I _love_ you Mikaela… but not like that anymore. And you are so amazing, and you deserved to be loved that way. I'm sorry… I thought for so long about what you said, but you're right." He took a deep breath once more, trying not to let his emotions overpower him. "I… think it would be better if we were friends, instead of more than that." He could see what he was saying was hurting her, and he felt a degree of self-loathing, but behind that there was a little butterfly struggling to break free from the caging cocoon. It was a butterfly of hope that yes, everything would be fine, and that one day, the free butterfly would be claimed by another butterfly that did not bring him down, but rather protected him, and gave him peace.

Mikaela's watery eyes did not hide anything. She brushed a tear aside. "I know. I came to accept it a while back. I just didn't want to let you go." She gave a small smile. "You were the first boy I ever loved."

Sam hugged her, bringing her close. He could smell the scent of her shampoo, something floral, yet spicy, and feel her arms tremble through the fabric of her coat. He'd hug her plenty of other times, but never would it hold this kind of intimacy. Some part of him knew he'd miss it, but she wasn't his to hold like this any longer. He had to let her go, too.

He stepped back a foot, to give her some space before he made his own comments. There were still tears on her face, but they were slowly coming to a stop, something he would do for her. "I know I loved you too, 'kaela. And I still do, but it's not that kind of love anymore. There is someone out there for you that will undoubtedly love you and show you just how much- and if they don't, I'll kick their ass." That part prompted a little laugh from her. "I'm serious. Just wait till I get a black belt in karate, or learn judo or _something_- either that or I'll frighten 'em off with my muscles."

She laughed again. "You'd have to gain some first."

He was relieved to see her relax some more, and continued; "they're just hibernating. Yanno, it's the winter. Even they need a little time to retreat."

"You make them sound like they're bears, or something."

Sam hummed a little before he made a smile. Pointing to his left bicep, he said, "of course, it's 'because they're fierce! Look, this one is Yogi, and this one-" he pointed to his right bicep, which was a little less developed- "is Booboo. Not 'cause of its size, but because it gives the enemy booboos. Or black eyes. Whatever you prefer that sounds better."

She was finally laughing, tears finally stopping and the somber silence was lifting. She clutched her stomach; it was almost too much for her. "You… are still the weirdest boy I have ever met." She wiped away the last tear that had escaped, one of amusement. "When I do find that next person, I hope they have as great (or bad) sense of humor as you do, with your lame jokes and all."

Sam puffed out his chest in indignation. "They are not lame! …Okay maybe some of them, but as long as someone laughs, right?"

Mikaela smiled. "Right."

A brief awkward silence, then Sam stopped and asked hesitantly, "so we'll stay friends?"

She nodded. "Of course. You can't get rid of me that easily. And no matter what has happened, I will always be glad that I got in the car with you."

They grasped hands, and everything had a whole new meaning. No longer were the two a couple, a pair of lovers, but two friends who knew that for many years to come, they'd always be in each other's lives. That was a defining moment in Sam's life, and somewhere below the surface of his skin, past layers of fat, muscle, and bone, the butterfly had beaten the cocoon. It was now free, and Sam felt more content than he had in a long time.

But eventually, things would change, and the butterfly wouldn't wait for long. It felt the connection between itself and a certain authority figure, and in time, it would make its move, unless the one it wanted went first…

* * *

It was now later in the month of December, a few days after Sam had broken up with Mikaela. He was at his dorm, it was late in the night, and he was studying like crazy. His last end of term exam was just hours away and Sam was going nuts. Literally.

He stuffed some almonds in his mouth and chewed frantically. He hadn't eaten very much earlier that day, too nervous about the weighty statistics his professors had instilled in his classes ("this final is worth 20 percent of your grade, so you'd better study for hours a week ahead of time!"). What kind of sadistic person put starving, often times poor college kids through so much brain-melting studying and told them that it was worth x percent of their grade?!

"They're called college professors, man. Many of them do it for shits and giggles to make us squirm in their seats, which makes them laugh because they used to be like that till they got a pole rammed up their ass." Apparently, Sam had spoken his thoughts out loud, because Leo answered his question. "And some of them actually think they're helping us by putting us under so much pressure."

The bronzed boy was on his laptop, which was not a surprising sight (as he was on there whenever he wasn't sleeping, eating out, in class (sometimes) or flirting with girls), lounging in his chair. Sam was dismayed to see that he didn't appear to be studying at all, and thought it fit to tell him so.

"What is wrong with you? We have a final tomorrow and you're not even out of your mind worrying yet, or you know, studying." Sam had his hands in his hair. "Oh god, if I fail, it's all over. I made up those days missing classes for nothing!"

Leo just sighed. "Dude, calm down. If you freak out, you'll just get so wired you won't make it past the first few pages. You were fine at midterms, so what's going on now?"

Sam shrugged. "I have no idea, I'm just so agitated, you ever feel like that, where there's an itch you can't scratch because it's _so wrong_ but it feels so freaking good if you do? 'Cause I just want to get rid of this." Sam had that look in his eyes; one that Leo had seen when Sam was seeing symbols in his mind. _That_ was alarming for the Hispanic boy, who feared that pre-exam stress was taking over his friend's sanity and holding it prisoner.

Gulping, Leo whispered, "Sam… I don't know how to put this but… did you get crabs? You know, an STD?"

"What?! No! What- what gave you that idea?! I'm just nervous, okay? Why would you ask such a t- no, don't tell me, it's one of those frat party horror stories isn't it?!" Sam's voice fluctuated between a high-pitch squeal and a flustered flat tone. He was sweating, his pupils were dilated, and he kept shoving almonds in his mouth. "I'm just _hungry _and I feel like 'm goin' ishane!" His last few words were muffled due to his packed cheeks, which were not unlike a chipmunk's full mouth.

"I'll say." Leo snorted. "Look, you really need to chill. You've already spent a lot of time studying, so why don't you take a break and actually get some sleep? You look like the undead." It was true, Sam had dark circles under his eyes and he looked unnaturally pale.

Sam shook his head. "If I go to sleep, I'll forget!"

Leo just rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease. You'll do just fine, trust me. Just quickly review before class and you'll do fine. If you don't do as I say, I'm going to call Bumblebee~" he held up his cell phone and grinned.

Oh how Sam wanted to smack the grin off his face at that moment! "That isn't fair, that's blackmail! C'mon, do a friend a favor and shove it, 'kay?"

His roommate just shook his head. "No can do my man. I promised BB that I'd do it for you. And if you don't do what I said, and Bumblebee tells Ratchet…" He shuddered. He'd only seen Ratchet get angry once (at Ironhide, who had not wanted his check up), and that was enough. "Please don't subject me- or yourself, for that matter- to that! He's got medical tools, Sam, medical tools! Do you know what he could do to you while you're unconscious?"

Sam cringed. Oh, he had an idea. "I suppose you're right, but I'm just so nervous…"

"That's why I'm here. To help you loosen up and make sure you survive college. I'm not just your roommate, but your friend too. And as your friend, I say you need to get some sleep." Leo told him sternly, or as sternly as he could get (like a slightly angry Chihuahua who wanted to be cuddled, _now_).

"Then you have to go to bed as well. And turn your laptop off too!" Sam told him as he put his books into his messenger bag.

"My baby! I will miss you!" Leo crooned to his laptop as he shut it down. Sam just stared at him. 'It'd be creepy if his laptop was actually an alien robot in disguise… but in any which case, I'd still laugh.'

The two got ready for bed and it was finally around two in the morning when they were actually in bed, with all the lights off. Sam had to get up at 7:30 for an exam at 8:30 in the morning, which he had been studying madly for. Now that he could hear Leo's breath evening out into light snores, Sam felt much more tired than he thought he was, yet somewhat aware.

…But why did he feel like he was being watched?

Sam drifted off into an uneasy slumber about thirty minutes later, exhausted. After his eyelids fluttered shut, he could not see the shadow shift across his window. It was only in his dreams and a few months previous had he seen the red optics that were just watching him, glinting in the darkness…

* * *

Sam had _not_ slept well the night before, and it showed. His gait was lethargic, and his skin still pale (but had some color, which was better than none at all). It was thanks to his friend called caffeine that he was actually slightly more aware, and a warm shower that caressed his skin in a wet embrace. The two, in conjunction with breakfast (yogurt and some cereal) that he felt awake enough to focus on his exam.

And after two tedious hours of his pencil scribbling down answers, Sam handed his exam in and joyfully made his way back to his dorm to drop his things off. He was confident that he had done well (and _not_ failed), and that had been his last exam for the term. He had winter break now, but Bumblebee would not come to pick him up until tomorrow, and they'd celebrate together then.

But for some odd reason, Sam had a burning desire to go out and get something; maybe like some overpriced coffee because _he could _and damn it, he'd just survived his first semester of college! That had to count for something. …Plus he really needed a boost, and Leo had taken their last energy drink (if Miles found out he was drinking so many of them he'd smack him over the head, the boy was becoming like version of a human Ratchet!), so he decided to get some coffee.

Once his things were dropped off at the dorm, he had his wallet in his front pocket and his cell phone in his hand. He texted Leo to tell him he was getting coffee, and to kick ass on his exams. He then decided to call Miles while he was waiting in line for his coffee at the joint he was visiting, and while he waited for him to pick up he addressed the odd looking cashier, asking for a small espresso latte. Sam couldn't stop staring, even as Miles began to ask him about his day.

His instincts screamed that there was something just _wrong_ about him. All the way from his unnaturally tall height, dark eyes that seemed reddish in sunlight, and his strong, thick shoulders, like they were made to support something- _wings?_ 'What is wrong with me?' Sam idly wondered, thinking it was his paranoia about his eerie feeling from the night before returning. 'It's nothing, nothing at all.' He handed his money to the cashier, who grinned as he took the payment.

…Sam was disturbed to see that his teeth were somewhat sharp looking, reminiscent of the jagged, serrated teeth that were present in shark jaws.

"Hey Sam, are you still there? I'm on the phone man, please don't ignore me." Miles's voice interrupted his thoughts and wary observation of the cashier, who told another man with a similar build but with a punk-style hairdo what to make him.

Sam looked down at the floor, noticing his shoelace was untied while he waited for his coffee to finish up. "Yeah I am, sorry Miles, I was distracted." He bent down to tie it, with the phone cradled between his ear and his shoulder.

He never saw the sinister smiles exchanged between the two employees, nor did he see that there was something extra being put into his latte, but after he'd gazed at his shoe and the shiny linoleum floor for about a minute he straightened and waited patiently, albeit somewhat nervously.

"What are you doing now that you're done with your first semester of college?" Miles asked curiously. The young man was currently at home, but as soon as Sam decided to go back to base, he would go with him. He was planning on learning more under Ratchet's tutelage and speaking more with Jolt, who had a soft spot for the aspiring doctor. He was anxious to see Sam, but also desired to see the Autobots as well.

"Well, I'm waiting for my special self-congratulatory coffee, to celebrate the fact that I just survived my first semester of college." Just seconds after he spoke, his latte was set down on the pickup table by the other employee, who smiled at him.

"Here you are," the employee said, and Sam noted with horror that this one also had shark teeth. 'They should honestly see some dentists… relax Sam, nothing but a bunch of weirdoes…'

"Thank you," he told them and picked it up and took a sip as he headed out the door back to his dorm. It was delicious, but it had a strange consistency different from coffee he'd had before. Of course, it could be any matter of things, but there was this strange _after taste_ and Sam was convinced that something was up (besides their plot to squeeze money out of their pockets).

Even as he made it back to the empty dorm room, after he'd gotten off the phone, the empty container in the waste basket, he could still taste it. It was odd, and almost metallic… not unlike the taste of **human blood**.

Sam slapped his face, trying to get rid of the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him it wasn't happy, and drank some water to drown the taste. 'It's nothing, it's nothing, and it's just a sign that you're subconsciously unhappy that you spent that much money for coffee… nothing more…'

His stomach had more to throw at him, because shortly after that thought he fell to his knees clutching his abdomen, fighting the urge to scream. _'Oh god oh god it hurts it hurts why why why did I drink that I knew something was wrong make it stop-' _his thoughts were scattered and all they could focus on was the white-hot pain that felt like it was burning a hole through the lining of mucus in his stomach, and moving upward. This was sending the easily-frightened boy overboard into a fit of shuddering muscles that contracted and relaxed, over and over again, then came the sensation of numbness creeping from his legs to his arms, _feeling _that taste of bile rising to the surface, all coated in _blood_-

It was becoming all too much for Sam, who could only utter a strangled call for the one mech he knew he needed _now_, and collapsed into a realm of corrugated darkness and spell-binding light.

* * *

"Optimus…"

The Prime who was currently at his desk consulting his data pads, had only just heard the desperate, yet teasing sound of his name and dropped them as he froze. '…Sam?' Why did he just think he heard the Witwicky boy's voice? He wasn't anywhere in the vicinity! Did he need to have his processor checked again?

Ever since he'd held Sam's hand in his own servo that fateful October night, things hadn't been the same.

Optimus's Spark seemed to like nothing more than to enjoy close proximity with the organic, and Primus help him if he even touched Sam's skin! He had gotten such odd little shocks from touching Sam, that did not hurt- rather, his Spark delighted in the tingles it received as it traveled through Optimus's body to his Spark chamber. Worse yet, his Spark wasn't very happy when they were separated. Right now, it was agitated, and it caused the Prime great stress still.

Aside from his Spark's protests and his own thoughts on the human boy who he found that he could never have succeeded in turning the tide of the war against the Decepticons without, Optimus began to wonder if all of this- the voices, the shocks, the thoughts, and oh Primus the _feelings_ he knew he was having- was a sign that he should just accept what he already knew. Ratchet had already made it quite clear what he felt was **normal** for a Cybertronian whose Spark had fully recognized its Sparkmate, even if Optimus's love interest happened to be human. That was the only thing that Ratchet said was concerning, was what the effects of a bond might be on Sam- whether he'd feel any at all, or if he did, what impact it held on his body and mind. Sam did not have a Spark, but a heart, and did not have energon and mech fluid in his wires like Optimus did, but blood in his veins.

And that was a defining factor. Not only were they two separate species, but in order for anything to happen, Sam would have to have some feelings of his own for the Autobot leader. That was something Optimus was certain that Sam did not have for him, at least, any sort of feelings beyond friendship and camaraderie.

But to put that matter aside, he had to ask- why was he hearing Sam's voice? Was it something prompted by his processors, a (what humans would say) figment of his imagination?

Whatever it was, he was concerned, so he called Sam's phone, and it rang and rang and rang… His facial plates moved into a worried frown, so he called again. It kept ringing, but no one ever answered. He tried once more, and yet again, there was no answer.

He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

So he comm'd Bumblebee and asked, **"Optimus Prime to Bumblebee, are you anywhere close to Sam yet?" **He knew that Bumblebee was driving to Sam's college in order to bring him home the next day, but he had no idea if the scout was actually there yet. It was only around one in the afternoon, and the scout had probably arrived in the United States earlier that morning, so he may not be there yet.

"**This is Bumblebee, and unfortunately I am not- I am en route, however I will not arrive for another two hours. What is wrong?" **He could hear Bumblebee's worried tone through his vocal capacitor as the bot communicated with him through the Autobot's high-pitched frequency.

"**I am not sure, but I feel as if he may be in some kind of situation. I have attempted to reach him through his cellular phone three times but no answer."**

"**I recommend calling Leo; he should be done or close to finishing his exams as well. I will do my best to get there within legal limits." **The last part sounded as if it were muttered in disapproval. Optimus knew that Bumblebee cared for his charge deeply, in fact, Optimus was surprised that he and Sam were destined, instead of Sam and Bumblebee. The two were almost always together, and Bumblebee had met him first…

…and for the first time in Optimus's long-lived life, he felt somewhat jealous of the other bot. It should be ridiculous, but if his Spark had really chosen Sam as a mate…

He'd have to get used to their closeness. He knew they were friends, nothing more, but he wanted that same closeness- his Spark, more than that.

"**Thank you, Bumblebee. I shall get on that immediately, if you hear from Sam before I do, contact me."**

"**Will do Optimus. Bumblebee out."**

Optimus sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose plate. He could feel something building deep within; worry was embedding itself in his Spark. It made him pause to think what exactly it would feel like if he were actually bonded to Sam- would everything be magnified? He would never really know unless it happened. He hadn't really felt this way, so to speak. He knew he'd felt something for a femme called Ariel back when he was called Orion Pax, but it was nothing like this- _that_ had been a childish infatuation that had shattered when he thought her permanently offline, and her new form (called Elita One) had not caused him any new feelings whatsoever.

Putting his thoughts aside, he called Leo, hoping that the boy could assure him that Sam was alright.

* * *

Leo had been having a perfectly good day, knowing that in his technical class he'd passed the exam with 100 percent, and feeling just fine, if only a little tired. Sam was such a stubborn (and neurotic) guy when he wanted to be, so it had taken him a while to convince him to put down the books the previous night. Sighing, Leo wondered if the guy would still be there when he opened the door…

Using his key, he let himself into the dorm room and when he turned around, his question was answered for him- Sam was lying face down on the floor, unmoving.

Putting his books down, he tried to fight the nervous feeling that was wrapping tendrils around his heart. He laughed nervously, saying, "all right Sam, you got me. I know you're faking it. Please get off the floor man; you're making me worry here!"

No answer.

Those tendrils of the nervous beast turned out to be like that of an octopus's, or perhaps a giant squid- it was squeezing his heart and causing something he thought was akin to a heart attack. Dropping to his knees besides Sam, he shook the boy's prone form, feeling panic. "Sam, bro, please wake up dude, this isn't funny!"

He rolled Sam's form onto his back, so that he could see if he was breathing, and to his relief, he was. _"Ay Dios mio!"_ He breathed, glad to see his friend was okay (he had been very frightened), but why was he like that in the first place?

Whatever the cause may be, Sam had fallen on the floor in some shape or form, so he may have broken something. Feeling almost dirty, Leo poked and prodded Sam's body, avoiding his groin (no _way _was he going to feel around _down there_, which would just be as awkward as hell), and checking for any sign of injury. He was relieved when he found nothing but a few bruises and a small cut on Sam's lip (he must've bit into it when he fell). However, that was only what he could see on the inside. He could be bleeding internally.

Gathering his resolve, Leo picked up his friend, who was light yet heavy at the same time (light in weight, perhaps 10 or 15 pounds lighter than Leo) because Sam was only about an inch or so shorter than he was. Grunting, he brought Sam over to his bed, noting his hot, sweaty skin, and slowly put him down, laying his head to rest upon the fluffy pillow and the blue flannel sheets.

Sam, who was being jostled during the small trip from floor to bed, began to murmur something under his breath that Leo could not understand, and at times it seemed like he was in distress, as he would put his hand over his heart as if it were hurting him. Leo felt this was a cause for concern, and picked up his phone to dial the big man in charge that Sam always listened to (more than his parents even), when it began to ring of its own accord, noting that there was nothing on the caller ID.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hello Leo, this is Optimus Prime. I'm sorry to be rude and not ask you how you are, but is Sam alright?" The Autobot leader's voice was tinged with worry.

Leo's coughed in some amazement (did the boss bot have some kind of mind-reading powers?!) before he answered, "y-yea, I think he's okay, but I don't know for sure. I came into the dorm and found him on the floor passed out. He's not seriously injured (from what I can see), and he's breathing normally, but he seems like he's trapped in some kind of nightmare. I can't really wake him."

On the other line, Optimus's metal mouth plates formed a frown. "Please stay with him. Bumblebee is on his way, I am going to put Ratchet on the line and he'll do his best to help you from here."

"R-right." Leo heard a far away click and then Ratchet's voice began to echo over the line.

"This is Ratchet, Leo. What symptoms is Sam exhibiting, and what has he been doing in the past 24 hours?" The Hatchet's brusque voice was business-like, but Leo could tell he was concerned about Sam as well.

He turned to look at Sam and studied him before giving his full description: "we were up late last night because Sam was studying for his last exam. He hasn't been sleeping as much in the past week, and I managed to put him to bed around two in the morning, though I doubt he went to sleep right away. This morning I'm sure he ate like he normally did, basically the same stuff he'd been eating for a few days already (we haven't gone grocery shopping in a while). He had his exam, then later (about an hour ago) he texted me to tell me he was planning on going to get some overpriced coffee at the local joint about a block away from campus. Then I came here, and there he was, just _lying there_. He's breathing, Ratchet, and I don't think he broke anything, but the only thing I can say is that there was something in his coffee that could have fucked with him, 'cause he won't wake up and he's tossing, turning, and sweating a lot. I think he has a fever, at the very least."

Ratchet's vocal capacitor made a series of clicks and Leo could hear gears whirring, clearly the Autobot was thinking deeply. After a few minutes, he asked, "I see…" He sounded frustrated. "Clearly I am not there so I cannot ascertain exactly what he has unless he wakes up to tell me his symptoms…"

"And by then it might be too late," Leo breathed, voice wavering. What if Sam _died_ there? And they couldn't do anything because they didn't know what he had? Leo's mind began to fill with horrible possibilities that Sam might have some kind of horrible illness that would kill him within hours, or days (for some odd reason, the phrase "you're gonna die in seven days" would NOT leave his head).

"Do not go as far to assume that it could happen. Sam's immune system must be strained because of the lack of rest as you've mentioned, so he could have fallen prey to the influenza virus that must be circling your campus. Some of his symptoms match that, but until I hear from Sam himself I cannot make a proper diagnosis…" His voice trailed off, but then came back on again. "Monitor him very closely, make sure he is drinking plenty of water, and call me _the instant he wakes up_, do you understand?"

Leo assured him repeatedly that he'd contact the Autobots as soon as he had any update on Sam's condition, and he would take Sam to the hospital if needed. He did NOT want to be on the receiving edge of Ratchet's favorite wrench if he could help it! But before he got off the phone, Optimus's deep voice came back over the line.

"Please Leo; let us know if anything happens. I don't know what I- we'd do if we lost him."

If Leo was a little more sensitive, he'd probably shed a tear at the depressed tone in Optimus's voice. "Don't worry, Sam is tougher than that. He'll be back, and the first thing I'll tell him is that you want to hear from him, all right?"

"Yes. Thank you, Leo. You are a good friend to him, and we appreciate it. Bumblebee should be there within a cycle- or a little over an hour in your terms." Optimus's previous tone was gone, instead replaced with a strong tone that suggested he was keeping calm, but still contained an edge.

"Okay, will do. Talk to you later Optimus."

"Goodbye Leo."

Right after Leo clicked the 'end call' button on his cell phone; he turned to his unconscious friend and sighed. "You really cause a lot of _problemas_, but I can't force myself to be pissed at you." Pulling out his laptop, he dragged a chair nearby Sam's bed and sat down. "At least I can work on _the Real Effin' Deal_ while I watch you."

So he began to hold a vigil by Sam, hoping that he'd wake up before or by the time Bumblebee arrived. Despite the fact that his website needed updating, he couldn't really focus as well. 'You'd better hurry and wake up Sam, 'cause I am not going to cry over you,' he thought (and lied).

While Leo was having his own series of conflicting thoughts, Sam was in another world… in his mind.

* * *

It seemed that Sam was yet again running, running, running. It was one of the things he was very good at, and it saved his life time and time again. But in this dream, he wasn't running from Decepticons (surprisingly), but rather, something much bigger than Megatron.

Whatever it was, he couldn't turn around to look at it, and he could only look forward. The only word he had for it was the daunting whisper in the back of his mind- which called it Fate. Why he was running, he could only guess there was something going on that he didn't know about, or he _did_, but didn't want to face it.

This annoyed the young man greatly. But before he could dig his heels into the dirt, he tripped and fell off a cliff, screaming and reaching for anything that might slow his inevitable descent to the bottom of the chasm, wherever it may be. But he could not find anything to grab, he was falling farther and farther away from the side, and he was sure it was over…

Until he landed on a giant metal hand.

Sam looked around, frightened and somewhat shocked that he wasn't hurt from the rough landing. Just _who's_ hand had he landed on?! He tried to turn and look, but his body was once again frozen in place. It was frustrating for the boy. He knew that one couldn't control what they dreamed, but then again, it didn't feel like a dream to him…

Just then, a deeper voice, one even deeper than that of Optimus's boomed from behind him, and made Sam jump. "Do not be frightened, Samuel Witwicky. I promise that on the name of Primus, that I will not harm you."

The voice sounded benevolent, but that didn't mean a thing to Sam- they could be hiding their true intentions. "Why can't I see you? 'Cause I don't exactly feel comfortable talking to someone who's obviously much bigger than me, could probably crush me easily, and won't show me their face or give me their name."

The voice seemed amused when it said, "such interesting creatures you humans are… unfortunately, I cannot allow you to see me just yet, as I was lucky to be able to bring you here… As for my name, I already gave it to you."

Sam swallowed deeply, as he had to think for a few seconds before it clicked. "Okay, fine, if that's what you want." 'Wait- Primus!? Is he- no way!' There was no way he was talking to the Cybertronian equivalent of God. It was just crazy. He began to talk again to try and lose his profound sense of awe (and apprehension). "Just answer me this: where am I, and why am I here?" He gestured to the surrounding desolate area made of thick, corrugated metal towers, with what looked like pillars of light beaming down in a circle or at least a half circle (from his point of view), cutting through the darkness and showing parts of where he really was. Every once in a while he could spot light pink crystals glowing softly, providing some light.

"You are in my realm, my land, my home… you are in the beginning of time, the little piece of Cybertron that I still hold today that is somewhat alive."

Sam blinked, wondering how that was possible, 'but then again,' he thought, 'I must be dreaming.' "It's, ahm, nice?" He blanched, feeling that his reply wasn't exactly approving to the being whose hand he was sitting on.

"…It looks much different from what it used to be." The tone seemed sad, nostalgic, even. "However, that is another story, and I'm afraid I don't have much time left to speak with you. So to answer your other question, you are here because two of my children, Starscream and Thundercracker, were ordered by Megatron to poison you, and they succeeded."

Sam gasped. "That's why I was in so much pain?!"

"Yes. They used a type of Cybertronian poison, with a name you could not pronounce, but in English as you use, it would be named diametaspora… you do not have much time left. I called you here so that you would know."

"But how do I cure it?" Sam was scared, wondering just how long he had left to live before he perished. "I need to know…"

The voice answered him in a grave tone. "Swallow a single AllSpark fragment. That will burn out the infection that is present within your veins. However, there will be some serious side effects…"

"I don't really care about that right now, I just want to be okay-" Sam paused when he realized what happened to the shards- they had been used! "How am I supposed to do that when the shards were used to revive one Decepticon and awaken another? I'm kinda fucked since one is in a desert and the other is at the bottom of the ocean!"

He felt himself being poked in the back in disapproval. "Language, Samuel, language. Do you think that the AllSpark shards would be so useless now? True, they do not have as much power as the cube does on a whole, but revivals and awakenings are _nothing_. There is much power that is still yet untapped… and mine is dwindling slowly." There was a long sigh.

Sam felt some sympathy for the being, but he was still distressed (and he could curse if he wanted to, damnit!). "But they're so far away from where I am, wouldn't I die before I reached a fragment?!"

"I shall unite the two shards as one, and then when you wake, it will be in your pocket. You _must_ swallow it immediately, and do **not**, I repeat, **do not** vomit. It needs to stay in your body in order for it to cure you. That is all you will remember of this encounter for a time."

Sam was taken aback, but nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I… sorry about all of my questions and rushing you and such. Thank you for, um, helping me."

There was a humorless chuckle coming from the being behind him. As Sam's surroundings began to vanish in a vortex of darkness, all he could hear was a dimming statement of "do not thank me yet…"

And then there was nothing.

* * *

Sam slowly came to, with his senses returning seemingly at the speed of molasses. First to come was the horridly dry and metallic taste in his mouth, and then the numbness in his limbs began to recede. He could smell something sweet, and heard the tap-tapping sound of fingers striking the keyboard of a laptop. When his eyelashes finally fluttered and revealed chocolate brown eyes, Sam dazedly gazed at the ceiling before he began to rise, his hand brushing against his right pocket… feeling a bulge of what he knew was his cure.

He heard an exclamation of surprise from Leo, who had been with him for some time, he was guessing. "Sam! You're awake!" His friend scrambled out of his chair and over to Sam, and helped him sit upright. "You had me scared shitless man! Don't EVER do that again, do you hear me?!" Leo's frantic dark eyes were glaring at him, but Sam knew he was relieved to see that Sam was among the conscious once more.

However, none of that mattered at the moment, Sam needed water, and he needed it now. "Water," he croaked. "I need it… please…"

His friend raced over to the mini refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water, then handed it to Sam. "Here you go, make sure you drink a lot of that…" He hadn't forgotten Ratchet's instructions and planned to call him within a few minutes.

Sam practically tore the cap off the water bottle and downed about a quarter of it before felt like his mouth was moist enough to swallow the shard in his pocket, which felt much smaller than what he thought the size would be (though not that he was complaining, if it was any bigger he couldn't swallow that without choking!). He _needed_ to swallow that and now, he could feel the poison in his veins, burning anything and everything. It hurt so badly…

He drew the fragment out of his pocket, turned away (so Leo couldn't see it and make the mistake Sam had months previous) and refused to look at it as he popped the shard into his mouth. Ignoring his shudder of revulsion as the shard slowly slid down his esophagus, he drank more water and prayed that everything would be all right.

But once it hit his stomach, it was like being punched and kicked in the gut at the same time, plus a well aimed groin shot added just for someone else's sadistic pleasure. Sam fell back onto his bed, unable to hear Leo's shrieks of alarm as he began to convulse where he lay. White-hot energy began to fill him, crackling and spreading through every fiber of his being, almost like he was being electrocuted from the inside out. Sam wanted to scream, throw up and get rid of the pervading influence of the shard but he could not bring himself to open his mouth. His only thought was _'please make it STOP!'_

Just like that, the sensation was gone. He stopped shaking, and was breathing harshly and sweating profusely. He should have felt exhausted, as if he had just run in a long marathon, but instead felt strangely energized. 'That was fucking weird…'

Sam was interrupted in his thinking when Leo's face got very close to his. Sam noted his panicked expression, but due to Sam's inability to make light of any situation without getting in trouble, all he could say was, "dude, what are you doing?!"

Leo moved his face back away from Sam's, but his expression was changing from panic to anger. "What am _I _doing? More like what the hell is going on with you?! Are you going to have another seizure while I'm here, because quite honestly I don't think I can handle that kind of crap right now! You stupid idiot…" Leo put his head in his hands.

Guilt began to fester in Sam's heart at his friend's upset state of being. "I… I'm sorry, Leo, I didn't mean to make you worry like that. I don't know what happ- okay, actually, I do."

Leo raised his head. "What is it then?" Clearly he was still grumpy; Sam couldn't blame him- after all, he'd be pissed too if he saw Leo being affected by what he had.

"I got my latte earlier, okay? And I couldn't help but notice the guys who gave it to me were freaky, like, way past normal freaky. Like downright-couldn't-possibly-be-normal-one-day-in-their-life-freaky. But I drank it, and as soon as I got back to the dorm, I didn't feel normal. I just felt really sick at first, as if I had an upset stomach or something. Then it was just pain… and then I blacked out." Sam took another drink of water, before continuing. "I had this crazy dream. I can't really remember what happened, except for being told by some giant being or robot that I was poisoned by two of the Decepticons 'cause Megatron told them to, and to freaking _eat_ two pieces (or rather one) of the AllSpark, which I thought were obsolete and stuck in Egypt and the bottom of the ocean, respectively, because it would cure me (though didn't he say there was side effects?). Then I wake up, and the shard is in my pocket. So I ate it, and after all that screaming I did from all the pain, I feel fine."

Leo stared at him for a few long minutes and exhaled, mumbling, "surely you can't be serious…"

Sam knew it was inappropriate of him, but he couldn't help but reply, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." He grinned at the incredulous look that crossed Leo's face and was repaid with a cuff to the head.

"You're such an ass sometimes…" Leo grumbled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to call that mother hen you call a guardian and the other Autobots to let them know you're all right."

Sam's expression turned from one of glee to one of horror. "Oh shit!"

"Oh shit is right." Leo looked up from his vibrating phone. "Bumblebee is here." He showed Sam his phone- the text saying, 'YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO GET SAM OUT HERE OR I'LL DELETE YOUR WEBSITE. –BB'"Now get out of here before he deletes my baby!" Leo cried desperately, cradling his laptop to his body protectively.

"Oh shut it…" Sam grumbled as he got to his feet, grabbing and sliding on a warm jacket. "Tell him I'm awake and on my way out." Sam crossed the threshold and out the door to the lawn outside, walking on the grass and sidestepping RAs roaming the corridors. When he arrived to the parking lot where he saw his yellow guardian, he made a beeline for his location (XD).

The door popped open immediately, and as soon as Sam got in, he felt the tingling sensation of being examined from the inside out, something he'd never experienced before. It didn't hurt, but it felt like someone was lightly touching him with delicate fingertips all over his body. Sam, who was ticklish, fought the urge to laugh.

"B-bee?" Minutes later, his plaintive voice asked for not only Bumblebee to cease his examination, but also to ask for comfort. He hadn't shown it as much with Leo, as he had been too busy trying to sort out exactly what happened, but he was scared.

There was a whirring shift of gears somewhere in Bumblebee's cab, and then a form appeared next to Sam in the driver's seat. A blond man with shaggy, short black-streaked hair and baby blue eyes stared at Sam. He moved his soft pink lips, but no sound came forth. Frustrated, Bumblebee decided to give comfort in another way that he knew Sam would understand, and so he leaned forward and gave Sam a hug.

Bumblebee's holoform clearly needed some work, as he hadn't had as much time to practice with it, but it was coming along nicely. While words didn't make themselves present through the holoform's mouth, nor did it show that it could breathe, it still gave the illusion that it was human. He looked like a young man in his very early twenties, with a lean build and slightly tanned skin with a few freckles here and there sprinkled across his cheekbones. Keeping true to his paint job, Bumblebee's holoform wore black jeans, skater shoes, a light yellow short-sleeved tee shirt and a jacket that was yellow and black. A bee was embroidered on the back, with the words "I Have a Sting-y Personality" on there underneath it as well.

After Sam had noticed all of these details, he took delight in the contact he received, and let some tears fall, burying his face in Bee's chest and wrapping his arms around his midsection.

Bumblebee purred softly from his engine, trying to calm his ward while simultaneously trying to calm himself. He had driven there as quickly as possible in order to see his best friend, only to find him looking just fine (though this clearly wasn't the case with his emotional state of being). All he wanted for Sam was to stop crying and feel better soon, and perhaps get some sleep so that he wouldn't be sick now or in the near future.

"Sam, it is all right. I'm here." His holoform, while it did have a sense of touch, had not developed it as much as he liked, but at least he could still touch Sam (and feel the skin, the hair, everything) to some extent in his true form. He began to pat Sam's back, soothingly stroking up and down while making a series of clicks and garbled whistles that he knew many found endearing (especially when he used them when he was a sparkling).

The boy or young man really, nodded, not as tense due to the Autobot's comforting touch. "I-I know. I just needed…"

"Someone to lean on. Lean all you want Sam, I'm not going anywhere without you." Bumblebee reassured him, and began to play lyrics for him to help soothe him into a peaceful state of mind. His radio crooned, _"If you need me, you know I'll be there."_

"Thank you Bee." Sam mumbled into the convincingly soft (fake) cotton shirt. Slowly, his breathing evened out and he fell asleep in the arms of his guardian, while snow began to slowly fall outside from the darkening sky.

* * *

Sam had woken up the next morning feeling much better than he had the day previous. He rubbed his eyes, and yawned. He had many things to do that day, the first being packing his things, then taking the long trip back to Tranquility. From there, he had about a day or so to do his holiday shopping for his family and friends before he and his family (plus Miles, Leo, and Mikaela's families) drove to the airport where they'd be flown to the Autobot base for a holiday visit. Sam was staying there for four weeks straight due to the fact that he had a month-long winter break until nearly the middle of January, so he was excited to have a chance to relax with good company.

He got out and then patted Bumblebee's hood. Bumblebee revved his engine in response. "I'll be back within an hour or so Bee."

When Sam got into his dorm room, he met up with the sight of Leo packing his things into his bags. The Hispanic boy looked up and pointed at Sam. "You are in _sooo_ much trouble."

Sam blinked, closed the door, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why am I in trouble?" He began to pack his own things into his bag, putting clothes, personal items, the necessities, and his laptop into his special laptop bag.

"You left me with the grave duty of informing the Autobots of your present condition! Ratchet was pissed as hell that you didn't call him back and you don't even what to _know_ how Optimus sounds when he's worried, it's enough to make a guy feel they were the cause of their worries." Leo ran an anxious hand through his hair. "I don't think they really believed me, but you're going to have to tell them the whole story. Oh, and watch out for Ratchet- he's not convinced that you're okay. He'll probably ram a probe up your ass before he declares you in good health."

Sam's eyes widened and immediately his hands went to cover his behind protectively. "That's so not funny, man… but I am sorry. Thanks for looking out for me…" He blushed a little, feeling somewhat guilty for putting his friends through so much for his wellbeing.

"You're welcome bud. Just know that you totally owe me." Leo finished shoving the last of his things into his bags. "I'm done. How about you?"

Sam ran into the small closet and grabbed anything lying around that he knew he needed before going through all his things, just to check. "Yeah, I am." They then cleaned the refrigerator out, taking the perishables that they'd eat and drink on the long car ride back and throwing away others that were old and rancid.

After one last sweep of their room, they locked the door, left and made their way to Bumblebee, parked as a perfectly shiny Camaro with 'Somebody Told Me' by the Killers blaring through his speakers.

"We're finally ready, let's blow this popsicle stand and get the heck out of here!" Sam told Bumblebee as they placed their things in trunk before settling in the seats, Sam sitting in the driver's seat and Leo in the 'shot gun' seat.

Bumblebee revved his engine and crowed, _"a rushin' a rushing around, pace yourself for me (for me)... I said maybe, baby please, but I just don't know now…"_

Sam laughed, music was truly a creative way to express one's thoughts. "Yeah, whatever Bee. Let's just go."

He got an affirmative reply as they began their long trip back to Tranquility, filled with chatter, music, and lots of singing.

"_So if we all come together, we know what to do, we all come together just to sing we love you and if we all come together, we know what to do, we all come together just for you~!" _Bumblebee couldn't resist bringing out Toy-Box, and Sam found himself turning bright red as Leo laughed until his stomach hurt.

No one could keep a straight face during the trip.

* * *

As soon as Sam and Leo had gotten settled at the Witwicky residence (aka throwing their things in Sam's room and Sam taking a shower while Leo socialized with Judy and Ron), Sam called Miles. "Guess whose back!?" He couldn't keep the jubilant tone out of his voice.

"Well it's about damn time! Are you going to make me walk over there or do you want to hang out?"

"Well actually Miles, I was wondering if you'd come shopping with Leo and I… I haven't gotten the Autobots their presents yet (but I got yours)!" Sam nervously wringed his hands. Leo hadn't met Miles yet, so he was hoping they would grow to become good friends, otherwise he couldn't foresee a pleasant shopping trip.

There was a pause on the line before Miles answered. "Leo? Oh, your roommate right? Sure. I'll come with; I kind of want to get some things for Jolt and Ratchet."

"You will? Great! We'll be over right away, so you'd better be dressed!" Sam teased and then exchanged goodbyes as he tugged Leo away from playing with the dogs. "C'mon, we gotta go, who knows if the mall is still open?!"

Leo rolled his eyes and got into the passenger seat. "It's the mall. Of course it's open!"

"You can never be too sure," Sam murmured.

They arrived at Miles's house within five minutes and immediately Miles got into the backseat. Leo turned around to greet him with a firm handshake. "Hey Miles, I'm Leo. Good to finally meet ya," he said in a friendly tone.

Miles smiled deviously as he shook Leo's hand. "It's nice to meet you too Leo. Anyone who will put up with Sam and his shenanigans is a friend of mine." Clearly, he didn't mind the other boy, and Sam was happy, except…

"Hey, what do you mean 'put up with me and my shenanigans?'?"

The two looked at him with a deadpan expression and said, "Exactly what we meant." They grinned at each other for saying the same thing and gave each other a high five while Bumblebee kindly drove them to the mall. Sam just pouted.

Miles poked him in the shoulder and said, "by the way, Ratchet called me about your little 'illness' yesterday. You're _so _dead when he sees you."

"Aw man…" Sam pouted some more.

An inquisitive honk made Sam grumble, "No, I am NOT pouting Bee, stop saying that!"

Everyone just laughed.

* * *

It had taken several hours, practically until closing time, before Sam and his friends had presents for the Autobots. It had taken hours of pondering on his part (and asking around) days beforehand, and careful consideration. He had gone to a digital store and there created a special mix CD of Bumblebee's favorite songs, and got some "bling" as the bot seemed to like having shiny things hanging from the rearview mirror.

For Mudflap and Skids, Leo had picked out several large books that they could read, knowing that while they didn't do as much reading as they liked, they'd at least have something interesting to look at for years to come.

He had also pitched in with Sam to buy some special car wax for Sideswipe, as the Lamborghini claimed it reminded him of his errant brother, who he missed quite a bit. He wanted to look good for Sunstreaker's arrival, whenever it may be.

Miles had taken a while before he found the perfect gift for Jolt- environmentally friendly radio frequency jumper cables, and a book on forest wildlife. Sam found it cute, in a twisted way, to see Miles squirm while trying to explain why he took so long to buy those items for Jolt. He also bought Ratchet a season of _ER_, hoping to convert the Autobot into watching it with him sometime.

Sam thought of the other Autobots, and he had known that Mikaela picked up some special paint that Arcee could use to change her paint job, or heaven forbid- paint her stabilizing servo (feet) tips a different color (the human equivalent being painting ones toenails).

He also knew that Will had gotten special dog tags for Ironhide, as the two were quite close and Ironhide had inquired about them before, prompting Will's desire to have some made for him.

Sam had it in his mind that his gift to Prowl would be to find a way to bring Jazz back to life. Seeing the Autobot happy would be enough for him.

…And as for Optimus…

Sam couldn't help but feel it was _incredibly_ cheesy, but he had gotten the Autobot a large (as in two feet wide, three feet tall kind of large), glossy, strong photo album with a metallic finish. And in that photo album, he had printed extra-large pictures of him, the other Autobots, and many of their friends. There were quite a few pictures of just him and Optimus, clearly taken by others (he'd had to ask around in order to get them), and there was plenty of room to put more photographs in. He knew that Optimus valued his friends, and he thought having a tangible photo album would hopefully be something he'd treasure.

So with great exhaustion, the four trooped back to the Witwicky home, where they were fed, and then they went to sleep, eagerly anticipating the following day.

* * *

The trip to Diego Garcia proved interesting, as earlier that morning they had met up with Mikaela, Wheelie, and her father at the airport where they would fly all the way to the Autobot base. Leo tried to hit on Mikaela (just for the heck of it), and was not only cussed at by Wheelie, but her father also proved that he could scare anyone away if he put his mind to it (really, all he did was glare with that 'what're you gonna do about it?' expression). Luckily he forgot it as Leo went on his best behavior, and instead got caught up in a discussion about sports with Ron, as well as Miles's father Roderich. Miles's family had taken a long time to get used to (heck they were still getting used to) the idea that their son was friends with giant alien robotic beings, but decided to go with it, since they weren't able to be there for him at Thanksgiving.

Leo had no family there with him, as he explained that his mother and two sisters were visiting their aunt for the holidays, and he had been allowed to go elsewhere for the holiday since he had excellent grades and promised to call them on Christmas (as that was the principal holiday his family celebrated). He also said that Sam's parents were practically like family as well, so he wouldn't be lonely if they got too mushy (pfft, whatever).

It was an incredibly long ride there, and even though Sam was so excited to get to the base, he couldn't help but feel his exhaustion catch up with him. Sinking into one of Bumblebee's comfortable seats, he closed his eyes and began to nap.

* * *

Sam was woken when he felt harsh vibrations shake him from his peaceful slumber. Clearly he must have been more tired than he thought, because he'd slept away the last three hours of the trip.

They touched down on the base, and with a lot of work, everything was unloaded off the aircraft carrier and being sent off to their respective rooms, with Bumblebee kindly assisting Sam's and Miles's parents with the baggage. Sam could see the Autobots coming out to greet them, and Miles immediately flocked towards Jolt after speaking with Ratchet, who looked about ready to destroy something (hopefully not Sam). Mikaela was helping her father get settled in, but made sure to stop and introduce him to the Autobots, Arcee being the first. Leo was hanging out with Mudflap and Skids, who eagerly began to tell them about all the pranks they were came up with.

Sideswipe drove near Sam before transforming and skidding to a stop just a few feet away from Sam. Grinning good-naturedly, Sideswipe gave him an affectionate pat on the head before whispering, "I'd hide, if I were you. The Hatchet is not happy with what you pulled the other day little man."

Sam made a face. "Hide me then! Bumblebee took my mom and dad to their rooms, and so you're my shield."

"No can do~ I gotta help Ironhide with the shooting range, 'cause if Ratchet sees me over here hidin' you he'll put me in the brig!" He pointed to the newly-constructed Cybertronian-size brig, which was over nearby the other Cybertronian-size buildings before speeding off.

Sam scowled. "Traitor."

Suddenly, a great shadow fell over Sam, a mech-sized shadow. And not just any shadow, it had the shape of Optimus Prime's chassis. Swallowing, Sam turned to greet the leader, feeling a pull at his chest. "H-hey, Optimus."

"Sam." The large Autobot looked at him with an expression Sam couldn't name. "We need to talk."

END OF PART ONE OF CHAPTER FOUR

* * *

**Songs used**: All You Wanted by Michelle Branch, Somebody Told Me by The Killers, The Sailor Song by Toy-Box.

**AC**: Jolt's fascination with nature and protecting the environment stems from a very funny story called The Best of Friends by **Arctic Banana**. I thought it was amusing and she gave me permission to reference her story. I've also decided that 10000 words per chapter should be a limit. I was about ready to shank something with this one because it was getting SO LONG. So, I split this chapter. This is part one. Part TWO shall include Sam & Optimus interaction, Ratchet anal-probing Sam (just kidding!), lots of antics on part by other characters, a holiday party, and a big surprise (though with what I hinted, it shouldn't be). By the way, I ship SunstreakerxSideswipe, so that'll be present later on in the fanfic, along with other pairings that will begin to shape up as more Autobots arrive. :3 MWAH. I'll be working on that as much as I can, though as you can see, December is a **pivotal** month in terms of what is occurring in the plot, and January will be an important month as well because **Sam will be at the base for another week and a half**. Fun stuff, am I right? This is 34 freaking pages in Microsoft Word, by the way, and I'm about to collapse. **Faceplants into keyboard** Please take the time to review if you can, and any constructive criticism is appreciated- I have no beta and so sometimes I miss little errors until after I've read the chapter a few times. I do my best to comb through it well before I post it, but still. Review, review, please, 'cause I love them to bits!


	5. December Part II

**AC**: I AM BACK AND READY FOR ACTION! Thank you so much everyone! My birthday was good and Anime Iowa was amazing. I am just astounded by all the reviews, favorites, alerts, and the fact that this fic is also on ten c2s. ;-; Almost 200 PEOPLE HAVE THIS ON ALERT. **Joyful **And I'm having fun playing TF: ROTF on my PSP, by the way. I wish I didn't have classes now… Updates may be slower. D:

**Dedication**- the lovely people who are reading this, who else?

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Transformers, I'd have a lot of money, and the ability to roll in my own TF memorabilia, and make all of YOU OTHER WRITERS disclaim Transformers. But obviously, since I am writing a disclaimer, that means I don't own it, or any of the song lyrics I use. **Sobs**

**Major Points of the Chapter**: lots of Sam & Optimus interaction, angry!Ratchet, SOME side effects revealed, character development, Jolt/Miles fluffles, friendship and familial emphasis, Miles/Sam IN THE PAST (oh my), angsty!Sam, and some OP/Sam fluff.

**Note**: Someone asked, so I thought I'd say this: Sam is _not_ gay. Obviously, he is attracted to girls in canon and in this story. What is different in this fanfiction is that Sam is _**bisexual**_, and it will become apparent soon~! Also, I use the information from the info fic called _Transformers Dictionary_ by PagenGodessOfTime for times and other terms.

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter Four: December Part TWO**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"_Song lyrics"_

At NEST headquarters in Diego Garcia-

Normal POV

Sam had a feeling that he was going to get an earful of stern 'how-you-make-us-worry-like-that' dialogue as he stared up into the unreadable face of Optimus Prime. Either that, or Ratchet was going to tear him a new one, and he was sure that he'd probably take the speech, as long as it wasn't from the leader of the Autobots. He could listen to Ratchet's yelling for an hour if need be, but he knew if it came from Optimus, he wouldn't be able to take the disappointed look on his face. His opinion mattered to Sam a lot more than he realized- the weight of his opinion was comparable to Bumblebee's, and he was his guardian.

But in a way, wasn't that what Optimus was doing all along? He'd always protected him…

Sam bit his lip and stared back into Optimus's bright blue optics and nodded with resolve. "Yeah, I know."

Optimus reached for him with his large metal servos, which held the power to crush almost anything (should he apply the pressure), and Sam was going to step into his waiting grasp. He wasn't afraid, even though he knew he was in great trouble. His only fear was that he disappointed Optimus (or scared him, whatever worked) to the point where the mech wasn't able to place his trust in Sam's ability to divulge information that was hazardous to his health (and especially if Decepticons were involved), or hell, trust him at all.

Just as Sam took his first step, long, spindly fingers closed around his middle and he was lifted into the air. Yelling in surprise, he was greeted with the sight of Ratchet's face, which held an expression of the utmost disdain. "Just _where_ do you think you were going, Samuel James Witwicky?" He asked with a dangerously calm voice. It made Sam fear for his life in the respect that the way Ratchet spoke made it sound like he was about to stab him with many sharp poisonous barbs. Or a blowfish, if you wanted to take a comedic (yet painful) route. Worst case-scenario, he'd get what Leo playfully pointed out- a probe up his ass (though he hoped that would _never _happen).

"I… was going to talk with Optimus." Sam stared at Ratchet, who stared back. All was silent for a few seconds, and they seemed to stretch on forever, until Ratchet brusquely replied,

"It can wait."

Both Optimus and Sam opened their mouths to protest, but Ratchet cut them both off. "Optimus, I don't mean to cut you off from your talk, but Sam is my patient and my patients are my first priority. And I would _trust them to tell me if they were experiencing sudden symptoms, right _**Sam**?" Ratchet glared at Sam, who just withered under his gaze pathetically. Ratchet began to stride away, but after several meters, he stopped and said, "Optimus, you may come in the med bay if you'd like."

"Thank you." Sam could hear the shuddering sounds of the ground as Optimus's giant feet collided with the surface while he followed them. 'He's so dedicated… Caring. Or he really wants to chew me out,' Sam thought.

Along the way, they picked up Miles, who was all too eager to learn from his new mentor. He claimed that 'regular medical school would never be as exciting as it was to learn from an alien medic,' and was happy to use a little of what knowledge he had acquired from the small amount of time he spent talking and studying with him last month. So they were off, and within a few minutes they arrived at the med bay.

Ratchet began by placing Sam on a smaller, human-sized table, and called on Miles to take Sam's blood pressure. Miles ran, grabbed the machine, wheeled it over to Sam, then wrapped Sam's arm and waited before calling out the results to Ratchet.

Sam realized that it probably wasn't absolutely necessary that Ratchet have his blood pressure numbers- 'he could have just taken that in a scan-' but it gave Miles something to do and he was learning, so he was somewhat content. Somewhat. As long as Optimus hovered in the back ground, anxiously waiting for Ratchet's diagnosis, he could never truly feel at ease. Seeing the worried look (by the way of the subtle dimming of his blue optics, the metal mouth plates formed into a frown, and the servos being wrung time and time again) made Sam's own heart twist in guilt.

Ratchet began performing another series of tests, using a multitude of scans and sensors to gather data. He even took a sample of Sam's blood when he had Sam prick his finger and smear his blood on a glass slide for him to view under high magnification. He poked and prodded Sam with surprisingly gentle hands, the once scary digits looking a little less threatening as he examined him and his joints. He even had Miles test his reflexes, which prompted a rather unmanly giggle from Sam when he accidentally kicked Miles in the side. "Sorry Miles," he gave Miles an apologetic grin.

Clutching the place of impact, Miles gave Ratchet a thumbs up, smiling in a crooked way that suggested some amusement, even in the midst of his pain. "Reflexes are good."

It was hard to tell if Ratchet found it funny, but regardless, his facial plates had shifted to form a more serious expression. He did not ask, but gently commanded, "tell me what happened that day."

"I had an exam to study for, and the night before that exam I was studying late. Leo helped me calm down and go to bed, but I always felt as if I were being watched. So later when I wake up, I'm still exhausted, but I managed to do relatively well on my exam. I decided to go out and get some coffee at the local joint about a block away, and I did get some, but from the creepiest… most _unnatural_ looking guys. Anyway, I drank it, but as soon as I got back to my dorm I felt sick, like I had an upset stomach. Then I feel the most awful pain, it was everywhere… and then I passed out and had a dream…" Sam trailed off, feeling acutely aware of the direct stares on his person. "…All I knew was from the dream that I learned that I was poisoned by Starscream and Thundercracker, and the only way to get better was to…" He ended up mumbling the last few words, but Ratchet and Optimus, who had far more receptive audio sensors, heard the words. The reaction was everything Sam thought it would be- explosive, and loud.

Ratchet lurched forward so suddenly, as if he were inebriated and about to fall over. "You… _swallowed a shard of the ALLSPARK?!"_ His voice capacitor had screeched words in a higher pitch than normal, and it was quite offensive to the ears.

Miles just stared at Sam with his jaw hanging wide open. "No way…"

Optimus did not say anything at all. If it weren't for the fact that Sam could see his optics still shining, he'd think that the mech had just gone into stasis lock. But seeing him stand there, speechless, was not helping Sam, who felt like he was in a **lot of trouble**.

Ratchet put his head into his servos, muttering curses before leveling a sharp glare at Sam. "Slaggit all Sam, what in that head of yours made you do something as incredibly stupid as that?! You could have been fragged beyond repair!!"

Sam gulped. "I… I know this was messed up and all, but I did and it made me better… everything stopped hurting…" He felt like he was shrinking under Ratchet's fury. Now he truly knew the wrath of the Hatchet!

"You fragging piece of slag! What were you thinking, you fragging glitch-head?! You're Primus-slagging lucky that's all it did!" Then Ratchet stopped himself before he said more, his CPU processing data and thought much faster than it had for a long time. "Unless… there are other effects." Ratchet brought out his scans again, each one feeling more invasive than the last, and Sam _hoped to God that Ratchet wouldn't feel the need to probe elsewhere_, say his bottom for instance, or have his mind picked to shattered pieces. Sam was starting to feel sick with worry about what these 'side effects' could be, and it showed in his slumped posture, his teeth digging into his bottom lip, and eyelids rapidly shutting and opening again and again. Once again, the knowledge of what could have happened came to the surface, causing Sam to go into shock.

Ratchet obviously noticed the distress signals on his scans, and decided to take action to calm him. "Miles, the sedative if you will." He turned to the young man standing nearby Sam and signaled towards the cupboard of anesthetics and sedatives for organics.

Miles saw this and got over his shock, and began to assist his mentor. "The mild?" He asked after rifling through the cupboard's contents.

"Yes, that will do. Prepare the syringe."

"I got it." Miles quickly accomplished his task and brought it over to Ratchet, who injected it into Sam's neck within seconds. Sam slowly swayed, then after a minute, the fast-acting liquid fizzled through his veins, causing his control to go slack. He would've fallen off the table if it hadn't been for large metal servos, which caught him and gently pulled him towards a red and blue chassis. Optimus had gotten over his shock and was now holding Sam to his chest protectively, almost possessively in the way that he had positioned him to be very close to where his Spark chamber was located.

Ratchet watched the scene with gentle optics, as much as he thought this was a precious moment that Optimus needed, his instincts as a medic won out and he said softly in Cybertronian, "Optimus, you must let him go. I still have a few more things to examine before I can tell exactly what has happened to Sam."

Optimus looked at Ratchet with reluctance present in his gaze. "…You said that he could have died, Ratchet. It hurts my Spark much more than you think to hear that and know that I wasn't there to help him."

"You're not the only one who has felt guilty about that, Optimus. None of us were there." Ratchet put his servo on Optimus's shoulder, showing his support. "However, if we are to fully figure out what changes have occurred within Sam's body, I must finish my tests."

After a long moment of hesitation, Optimus tenderly put Sam back onto the medical examination table, taking care to make sure Sam was comfortable. While Sam's face looked content, Ratchet could have sworn upon Primus's good name that he had looked much happier present within Optimus's arms. He filed the thought away in one of his data banks so it wouldn't distract him now, and began the long process of analyzing every piece of evidence he had picked up within scans, observations, and biological samples he had taken from Sam. Miles, though he did not understand much of what everything meant yet, continued to help Ratchet whenever he needed it, while Optimus waited in the back ground anxiously for results.

At one point, Bumblebee joined them after finding that his charge had not yet left the med bay like he'd hoped. The bot could sense the situation was serious, and found that he could not relax fully until he knew Sam was all right. He was somewhat surprised to see that Optimus was also present, but again only somewhat. He knew that Optimus cared for Sam deeply, as they all did- everyone had grown fond of the boy since meeting him, though Bumblebee and Sam had developed a deeper friendship- he was his guardian after all. Bumblebee guessed based upon the calculations his processor had come up with that Optimus wanted to know what Sam had, so that he could do his best to help him (and also inform the others). He had no idea that Optimus had deeper feelings beyond friendship.

It had taken about a joor (6.5 human hours) before Ratchet was able to determine the effects that were beginning to emerge within Sam's body, and upon discovering the results, Ratchet was barely able to contain his shock. It had taken hours of research and a lot of thought, but the evidence was staggering. It would be hard to break it to Sam, but he had to know. His life may have been saved when he swallowed the shard, but the consequences were going to affect him for the rest of his unnatural life…

Ratchet walked over to where Sam was waiting with Optimus and Bumblebee in what was essentially the "waiting room" area. Sam was awake and much calmer now, though Ratchet's scent receptors could pick up traces of perspiration, proving that Sam was nervous, as he sweat when he was under pressure. "Sam," he began, "I have… a lot to tell you. You may want to have your parents present with you."

Sam bit his lip, already feeling dark foreboding creep up on him from behind. Bumblebee, who had a supporting servo for him to lean against, a thumb brushed Sam's shoulder, a light comforting touch. "Bumblebee, could you get my parents?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yes, I will be back Sam." The yellow bot left the quarters to fetch Judy and Ron. Sam, who lost his source of support, could take comfort in Optimus's warm presence. Sam didn't know what it was about the leader that made him want to be near him. He had too many qualities that Sam could name to provide a reason why he cared about the leader, who he had grown to trust ever since he had met him. Sam looked at his feet in slight embarrassment, not truly recognizing why he wanted the leader to hold him, only that he did, but he had too much pride to ask.

Soon Bumblebee returned with Judy and Ron, and placed them next to Sam on the human-sized chairs. Judy looked at Ratchet with a serious and somewhat accusing expression. "…What is this about, Ratchet?"

Ratchet cycled a large amount of air through his vents and released it, a Cybertronian version of a sigh. "Sam, when you swallowed that AllSpark shard, it is true that it cured your poison. But when you felt its energy fill you, it was changing something; something I fear has already begun." He paused, watching the reactions of Sam's parents, who just seemed to be bracing themselves for his answer. Ron had one supportive arm around Sam, and his other hand was lying on top of Sam's, just as Judy did the same thing. "Sam, human cells such as yours continue to divide and multiply, and in your genes there such things known as telomeres. Telomeres shorten when one ages, and those cells eventually stop dividing when the telomeres are short enough. If cells continue to divide faster than normal, there could be an increased risk for cancer. Yours, however, will keep dividing for quite some time, until your late 40s or so when one is already losing their youthful appearance. However… something has happened. The AllSpark fragment has energized the cells you have, and as you age, you will not be experiencing some of the normal processes that human men will be going through."

Sam felt dread continuing to grow in his chest. "What… what are you saying?"

Ratchet looked down briefly, steeling himself for what he was about to tell them. Raising his head, he continued, "this is a very rough guess, but I am thinking in your middle 30s, your cells will be at their peak in energy containment. The AllSpark shard you swallowed has somehow dissolved into your blood, its energy constantly circles through your veins, never dissipating, unless somehow you are able to discharge most, if not all of it. The energy will provide everything your cells need to continue functioning, perhaps only dying when absolutely necessary to prevent any buildup of toxic chemicals or waste in your systems. You also have many stem cells that are doing their part to keep your tissues functioning properly. What I am saying, exactly… is that you are most likely going to stop aging in your thirties. You can be mortally injured, but I am not sure if sickness will have any impact on your immortality. I am not sure if you have any other abilities, as they will most likely manifest over time. So unless there is a way that you can disperse a vast majority of this energy, or if you are fatally wounded, you'll stay alive for a very long time." Ratchet finished, and waited to gauge their reactions.

Sam felt as if the world had dropped out from underneath his feet. Dimly, he heard the raised voices of his mother and father as they jumped to their feet, vehemently protesting Sam's fate, while Bumblebee made a whining sound. Slowly, he felt everything began to fade away, even as he quickly repeated, "no no no nononono no!" over and over again. The shock was too much for him and so, he could see the ground was pitching closer and closer to his face, and the last thing he saw before he fainted were a pair of concerned blue optics staring frightfully into his.

* * *

When Sam came to, he knew he must've been in dream world again, because there he was, sitting upon that metal hand, surrounded by the somewhat familiar black and white flashes in the area, with random spots of pink crystal shattering the calm neutral tones. "…You again," Sam groused, feeling somewhat resentful.

"Hello Samuel. I understand that you are not happy to see me." The deep voice of Primus greeted his ears with a tinge of…guilt?

"Why would I be? I was just told that I'm eventually going to stop aging, and maybe live forever! This is what the AllSpark has done to me?" Sam asked with a hint of desperation.

"… Among other things. I told you not to thank me yet." His voice was somewhat somber now.

Sam put his head in his hands, frustrated and upset. "I kind of wish I didn't ignore what you said before… but now everything's gone to hell, and I just don't know what to do."

"Has it?" Primus sounded surprised.

"Of course! I just found out I'm going to outlive all of my human friends and my parents, unless something bad happens to me… but how… how can one just go on, seeing the people they love die out before they do?" Sam's voice was full of anguish.

There was a pause before the giant mech answered him. "Perhaps you should try asking your friends, such as Bumblebee or Optimus Prime. Bumblebee has seen you die before, and has always considered it his duty to give you the longest life possible. Imagine what he felt when he could no longer sense your heartbeat back in Egypt. Optimus has never wanted to drag you into the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons, but as you can see, you can never run from Fate. Do you really think it is all that different for them? Optimus has seen many die under his command. Bumblebee is a soldier, and a scout. Ratchet is the best medic on this side of the galaxy, but did you ever think what pain he must have held when Jazz, who is many vorns younger than him, perished and he was not able to save him? No no, you have not. Now ask yourself that and think; and if you still cannot find the answer, seek it from them. You have your life for as long as it lasts. Never take it for granted."

Sam had been thoroughly admonished, and took a few minutes to think before he responded. "I… I understand. I'm sorry for yelling at you… though I still don't feel comfortable talking to air."

The hand that he was sitting on lurched, and finally Sam was able to face the mech who he was speaking to. 'This has to be the largest cybertronian I've ever seen.' Indeed, the mech, or Primus, was astronomically huge, maybe even more than 150 feet (45.72 meters) tall if he had to guess. The mech was silvery, with white and black painted lightly across his chassis, though the silver showed through. Molten gold snaked its way to caress the edges of his stabilizing servos, up past his legs and settled on his shoulders and chest, where a series of symbols Sam recognized were carved directly above where his Spark chamber was housed. The optics were a deep purple, almost black, like the color of a dark night sky. He had somewhat of a human-like face with metal lips, a nose, and the 'apples' of his cheeks were sharp, pointed metal- but he had his own quality that still prompted the thought 'alien.' Sam, who was on his right hand, noticed that the left was covered in dark shadows up to the middle of the forearm, almost like a bad bruise. The shadows seemed to shift and change and Sam felt somewhat wary of it.

Primus saw Sam's gaze and sighed. "It is my Left Hand, the Hand in which Megatron used to be held high in favor. The Hand you sit on is the Right Hand, of the mechs who keep closer to the Light, such as your Optimus Prime. As for Megatron… many, many vorns ago, he was tainted by dark desire, and spread his influence everywhere to any mech who would believe him. It is better than it used to be, as my whole left arm used to be consumed… but now, his influence is trying to pervade even further. As you can see, he brought new mechs and will try to kill you again, Sam." Purple optics centered in on Sam's being, and Sam clenched his fists as he began to speak once more.

"What must I do?" Sam asked softly, standing steadfast before the ancient being.

"Live. With yours and your friends help, the Autobots can gain the upper hand against the Decepticons, and hopefully bring some to justice. Also…" The mech trailed off, an obvious tease.

"What?" Sam asked, curious.

Primus smiled. "Give Optimus a chance."

Sam tilted his head to the side. "Uh… what do you mean by that?" There was something oddly indulgent about that smile, he decided. It was almost irritating, but in a familiar way. But everything began to fade…

"You'll see, Samuel, you'll see… until next time."

In the blink of an eye, Sam left dream world and became lost in the darkness, until he felt the tug of consciousness calling him back.

* * *

When Sam finally awoke, he did not feel the chilly plastic of the med bay under his body, but rather, something warm and soft. The window outside broadcast the sheer light of the moon into his room, with a fuzzy glow to give him some visibility. Sitting up, Sam realized that the blanket on his skin was made of soft fleece, with the name **Mikaela Banes** embroidered on a corner. 'She must've come to see me,' he thought with affection. Getting up and checking the clock on the nightstand beside his bed, he was greeted with the time being 2 AM. "Oh man, I must have looked so bad… just passing out like that…" He put his head in his hands, somewhat embarrassed. His stomach gurgled in protest, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since about 1 PM earlier that day. 'Damn, I'm hungry…' He looked around; hoping for anything and his eyes spotted a sandwich, a bag of tortilla chips, a bottle of water, an apple, and a cereal bar.

The sandwich was probably stale, but the rest seemed to be all right, so he proceeded to fill his stomach and quell the hungry beast within called his stomach. After he finished, he also saw there was a note written on a sticky note. Picking it up, he recognized Mikaela's neat handwriting, and began to read.

'**Dear Sam,**

**By the time you read this, everyone will most likely be asleep, but I thought you might appreciate the food and the blanket. I heard about everything from Miles, and I know you are going through a lot. I could hardly believe him, but Ratchet confirmed everything. Just know that we all care for you a lot, Sam. You and I may not be dating anymore, but you will always hold a special place in my heart. If you need to talk, you can always talk to me for as long as you want. **

**Love from your friend,**

**Mikaela.**

**PS. You might want to talk to Optimus and Bumblebee… I don't know who was more upset when you fainted, but they hardly wanted to leave you until your mother kicked them away from watching through your window. Your mom's temper rivals Ratchet's, by the way. I think Ratchet might be afraid of her to some level.'**

Sam smiled a little bit. Even after all they had been through, Mikaela was still as loyal as ever, even if they were not involved romantically. Also, Bumblebee and Optimus's caring natures just made him blush. 'Where did I get such awesome friends?' He wondered. 'They… they are really the best.'

Despite knowing that he would outlive his human friends and family, Sam felt somewhat calm for the time being. He couldn't spend so much time complaining about what time they had left when he could spend it with them. Even though he knew the pain of knowing would always be there, it wasn't as strong right at that moment. He understood that the pain would never really go away, but unexpected exhaustion began to overtake him, and it was with some ease that Sam drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Several hours later after Sam went back to sleep, the sunrise was making itself apparent throughout the base, and Jolt was the first bot who had been recharging to online his optics. The blue Volt stretched, hearing the satisfying creak of gears, and the pinging noises of nails and bolts rub up against wires and metal cords. Jolt then wheeled out of his designated room, and then quietly sped past the other Autobot quarters and into the beautiful sunshine.

Once he had a clear view, he beamed. The sun was just as lovely as ever, and he liked the feeling of the rays warming his chassis. He felt like he could sit there for joors, just soaking up the sunshine (of course, until the heat and humidity became too much) and watching the colors shift and change while the clouds flew by. Alas, he had only a few short breems before he had to go on his shift on patrol around the base. Reluctantly tearing himself away, he folded into his alt mode and began driving around the premises.

He noticed the absence of Prowl's usual presence on the perimeters, and cycled air through his vents in what a person would call a sigh of relief. It was uncommon for Prowl to get decent amounts of recharge; much to Ratchet's chagrin. While Jolt did not know the other Autobot well, he respected him and cared about all of the wellbeing of his fellow Autobots, as well as the friends and the planet that he had come to call home. He cherished life as he saw it, and so any glimpse of greenery and wildlife made his spark pulse with joy.

As he rolled past the human quarters of the largest building, Jolt greeted random soldiers that he encountered, and found something (or rather, _someone_) that made his spark burn just a bit brighter.

Miles was up surprisingly early, dressed and heading towards the Autobot hangar. His smoky blue eyes caught sight of Jolt, and he smiled. "Hey there!"

Jolt sped up to him, stopped, and popped open a sapphire blue door. "Hello Miles. Need a lift?"

Miles laughed. "How could I say no?" He had a weakness for hot rides. While Bumblebee was amazing, he just couldn't deny the fact that he enjoyed taking a spin in Jolt just a bit more. He stepped into the car, and sat down on the black leather seat. His hands lightly brushed the steering wheel, and he looked all around the inside of Jolt's alt mode in open admiration. He put on his seat belt, and the door closed.

There was a light vibration coming from the seat, traveling to behind Miles's shoulders, and he leaned back with a sigh of appreciation. It made the knots in his muscles slowly unwind, and it was just heavenly. "How'd you know I was stiff?"

"I could sense it. So where do you need to go?" Jolt asked.

"I gotta get to the med bay. Ratchet is teaching me more about Cybertronian anatomy this morning." Miles said excitedly, bobbing up and down in his seat an inch or so. (1)

For some odd reason, Jolt felt warm air coming off his heated circuits in where his cheeks would be if he were in his bipedal form as Miles shifted in his seat. "I s-see." He cursed the skipping in his vocal capacitor. It only happened when he was flustered or extremely nervous. "H-how does he plan to do that?" He questioned as they began to move at a steady pace towards the medical bay.

"He has some data pads with information, some holo videos, and sometimes he shows me cybertronian parts (though mostly external ones, I won't see past the others until he thinks I have enough experience)." Miles said. "On other days, I learn about human medicine."

"You're fulfilling your dream." Jolt said wistfully. They were very close. After passing through another hall, they'd be there. The Autobot hangar had large hallways and huge doors, so that even Optimus and other large mechs could pass through with ease.

"Yes, I am." Within seconds, they arrived at the med bay and Jolt opened the doors for Miles to get through, a gentlemanly gesture.

Miles noticed that immediately. A blush spread across his face, making his pale face light up with color. "Thanks Jolt, that saved me about twenty minutes."

"You're welcome, Miles. I gotta get back to patrolling now, but I'll talk to you later?" He asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.

Miles stuffed his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "Yes, I'll talk to you then. Bye!" He gave Jolt a small smile before he headed off to begin his lessons.

Jolt watched him go before going back to his own patrol, hoping that the joor would pass quickly, so that he could speak to his friend once more.

* * *

When Sam got up that morning, he felt the gravity of what had happened yesterday and in his dream hit him full force now that he was fully coherent. It was… painful, to say the least. His hand was resting on where his heart was, and clenched the fabric that covered his skin. 'No, I can't let it break me.' He couldn't spend his life lamenting over what was happening to him; no no, he had to be strong. He was an adult, and while he was a young one still, he felt as if this experience (that and what had gone on in the past two years) had aged him at least a few years. He had to prove to his friends and family that he would be all right.

…If only he could convince himself completely.

He got dressed in a light tee shirt, some shorts, and a thin jacket, just in case. He ran a brush through his unruly mop of brown curls, brushed his teeth, and went to the door. Bravely opening it, he sighed before stepping outside. 'Here's to damage control,' he braced himself, and went to confront those who were most precious to him.

* * *

Sam had spoken to his parents first, since their room was closest to his. The conversation had lasted at least an hour and was filled with a cup of angry yelling, two pints of tears, three tablespoons of mucus, and a twist of familial affection. The result was Ron and Judy vehemently dictating that no matter what happened; they would always be behind their son. Even if it broke their hearts to see the depression that lurked beneath the surface of his skin, his shaking shoulders, and the firm set of his clenched jaw that showed that he was trying so hard to be strong. They vowed not to smother him, but help him in any way possible.

They were a family, and always would be, even beyond the inevitable call of the departed's resting place that would one day welcome them.

There was love in their little family, and it would never fade.

With a somewhat lighter feeling in his heart, he moved onto Mikaela and Leo, who had been socializing within one of the recreational rooms on the same floor they stayed on (the second floor). Within ten seconds, he found himself with an armful of Leo, who had decided it wouldn't be _too_ strange if he hugged his friend (more like tackled, practically). A few soft pats on the back and the assurance that things would be _alright_ (even though a little voice insisted inside Sam's head that no, it wasn't completely _alright_), and he would have Leo's support whenever he needed it. He even cracked a few lame jokes ("so I guess the Fountain of Youth doesn't exist in the penis of America- I mean, Florida" (2)) to try and coax a smile out on Sam's face. It worked, somewhat.

Next he was taken aside by Mikaela, who had tears in her eyes. Taking him in a gentle hug, she let some fall, and Sam felt them stain his clothing with moisture. He, however, kept his eyes from dropping liquid projectiles, to try and keep up his strong facade.

Softly whispering his thanks, he held her close to him. Moments passed, but still there were tears. He pulled back and wiped them off her face and said, "Please don't cry."

She sniffed and rubbed the end of her small pink nose. "You idiot… I'm crying for you. I know it hurts. It hurts me too."

Sam looked away, feeling guilt wash upon him in waves. "I'm sorry, Mikaela."

"Don't be. You're never alone, you know that?" She hugged him tight before letting him go. Putting a smile on her face, she lightly pushed him away. "Now go make things right with the others."

Moments later, Sam found himself outside the door of Miles's room. It was around lunch time, or rather, 12:30 PM. He'd heard from Leo that Miles had decided to come back for a change of clothing since he'd managed to get fall victim to a prank set by Mudflap and Skids- i.e., a barrel of water dumped all over him. So hopefully, he'd still be in the room.

Knocking, he waited until he heard a "come in" and then walked into Miles's room. Sam shut the door before he actually looked at Miles, and when he did, he gulped upon the handsome sight of Miles's half-naked body. The six-pack abs were certainly new to him! "Dude, when the hell did you get abs?!"

Miles rolled his eyes as he pulled on his clean, _dry_ tee shirt. "When you were gone, I didn't really have anyone to play games with. Eventually I got bored, and dad got a little home gym set up. I started using it, and voila! Abs." Upon seeing Sam's admiring gaze, he smirked just a little. "Haha, are you checking me out Sam?"

Sam immediately said "NO…" Then paused. He couldn't really lie to his best friend, he had done that for two years and it had hurt their friendship quite a bit. "Alright, I was. You're hot."

"Glad to know you think so." Miles chuckled, and then his mind went back to a certain day around four years ago, when they were both 15. "Remember that one time when…"

"…We kissed? Yes, I do. You never let me forget." Sam rubbed the back of his head in mild embarrassment. Oh god did he ever remember. They'd been each other's first kiss (and French kiss). At the time they'd both had a minor crush on each other, even though Sam claimed that he only wanted to impress Mikaela with his 'mad kissing skills.' He'd been convinced that Mikaela was the one for him, but he couldn't help but notice his attraction for other members of the same sex. Hell, he'd even thought that Trent was cute, once upon a time- until he turned into a total jerk. After the experience, they both decided they were better off just being best friends, and they liked it that way. It was a part of him he had accepted, but rarely thought about since he'd been so occupied with his former relationship with Mikaela and all the things that occurred with the arrival of the Autobots and the Decepticons. Only just recently he'd begun to notice others in a different light. Though he was sure that the fluttering he was getting in his stomach could not _possibly _point to the fact that he was also getting a crush on one of his _off-limit-of-a-different-species_ friends…

"Of course not. It was a momentous occasion." The smile dropped from Miles's face, and a more serious look took hold of his facial muscles. "I'm sure you already got quite an earful from the others, but…" He suddenly whipped out a stethoscope from behind his back and whacked Sam over the head with it while saying, "Quit being an asshat!"

Sam looked at him with a scandalized expression and cradled the spot where the metal of the stethoscope had collided with his head. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You know what I'm talking about." Miles tossed an apple up and down in another hand ('where the heck did that come from,' Sam wondered inwardly) while he leveled a stare at Sam. "We all understand that what you're going through is huge. If it were me, I don't know what I'd do. However, for future reference- don't be afraid to talk to me. I'm your friend, heck we're practically brothers! I'm always going to be here for you. If not in body, then in spirit. And seriously, Ratchet and I are going to take good care of you."

There was a long pause, and then finally Sam sighed. He was feeling somewhat better (though he could do without the bump on the head) now. "Thank you Miles. You know you mean a lot to me. Though seriously, why'd you hit me?" He whined.

"It made you pay attention to what I was about to tell you. That and you worried me, you jerk." Miles smiled at Sam affectionately. "Now get out. I need to go brush my teeth, and it sounds like you need to get something to eat."

Sam's stomach had gurgled prior to Miles's last comment. "Alright, I will. I'll see you later." Sam headed out to the cafeteria, where he proceeded to fill his stomach until his appetite was satiated. He then texted Bumblebee, telling him that he would meet him out by the Autobot hangar's west indoor entrance. He knew speaking with his guardian wouldn't be easy, but he had a feeling that somehow, he'd be easier to reassure than Optimus… whose opinion and support mattered just as much to him.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance, he was swept up into an embrace of yellow and black, the metal arms cradling him gently. Sam could hear very clearly the sound of Bumblebee's multiple systems at work; the fuel tanks pumping energon and mech fluid along, the hum of his processors, the whispery soft whirrs of the gears as Bumblebee shifted his weight slightly to the left, and the clicks of Bumblebee's vocal capacitor as he chirped to him in a soothing manner. Sam took comfort in those noises, because they were so familiar to him that he found the noises that Cybertronians exhibited as they functioned exuded a calming effect upon his body and soul. Bumblebee, after years of being Sam's guardian, learned this.

Sam had closed his eyes for a few short minutes, only being slightly jarred at times as Bumblebee walked them to his quarters. Finally, when they were alone, Bumblebee dared to ask;

"Are you alright Sam?"

Sam's weary brown eyes looked up to meet Bumblebee's shining blue optics. They spoke volumes, conveying emotions the scout found almost to be overwhelming. Dusty pink lips parted and a low murmur of, "I'm not sure, Bee" admitted insecurity and uncertainty to the highest degree.

An exhaustive puff of air was filtered out through Bumblebee's vents in one long gust of sadness. "Oh Sam…" He raised Sam so that he was positioned higher, closer to his neck and his head. Sam took advantage of the closeness, and leaned forward until he could hug the Autobot around the neck. The metal plating was not overly cool, but somewhat warm to the touch, and Sam rested his head against the shoulder plating on Bee's chassis.

"Bee… I know you're committed to this whole guardian thing, but… don't you want to live your life? It sounds like unless something bad happens to me, I'll be around for a heck of a long time. I wouldn't want to hold you or Optimus or the rest of the Autobots back from living your life when you constantly have to protect me." Sam finally admitted part of what had been on his mind.

"I don't know where that got into your processor, but you are my friend, Sam. If anything, I am… somewhat guilty for feeling the slightest bit of joy that you would be around longer." Bumblebee looked away. "You are my best friend. I don't know how Optimus feels, but I'm sure he and the others do not mind one credit at all."

Sam looked at him with some amazement. "You… really don't mind…? But what if you need to leave the Earth? You can't really take me with… Humans need oxygen to survive."

"While I am an Autobot, I am also your guardian, and your friend. Wherever you go, I go. You're the person I care about most… You're like the brother I never had." Bumblebee's admission shocked Sam, and for a few minutes Bumblebee feared that he'd gone too far, until a tighter hug on his chassis said differently.

"Are you kidding? You… you… oh jeez Bee, I don't know what to say… I never dreamed that I'd have a car that would become one of my best friends." Sam paused, trying to find his thoughts and feelings and put them into a collective order before forcing them out his mouth. "Bee, I care about you a lot too, and what you said means a lot to me. Thank you… thank you so much." Sam gave Bumblebee one of his sweeter smiles, which made the Autobot much cheerier, judging by the lightened expression upon his facial plates.

"I will do my best to be there for you, Sam. And I know you will as well."

The tender moment lasted only minutes, but to them, it seemed like hours. Finally, Sam asked Bumblebee to put him down. When Bumblebee asked for the reason why, Sam remarked with a tight expression of determination, "there's one last bot I have to see.'

* * *

Bumblebee had taken Sam to the outside of Optimus's office, and set him lightly on the ground so Sam wouldn't have to walk all the way there. Sam appreciated it, as the base was _huge_- Will even joked that even if a soldier ate the highest-calorie food present at the cafeteria, they would still manage to burn it off within an hour of brisk walking around the base. And so, after promising to catch up with Bumblebee later, Sam was left alone outside the great huge metal doors.

As he gazed upon the doors, he could automatically pick out the many thousands of cybertronian characters that were etched into the door's shining silver surface. Having retained some of the knowledge he had temporarily gained from the AllSpark (back before the battle in Egypt), he could remember and decipher some of the symbols upon looking at them. For now, he could see 'justice,' 'leadership,' 'courage,' and 'loyalty' on eye level. The doors were tall enough that Optimus could walk through and throw his arms up without scratching a servo, and they were wide enough for both Optimus and Ironhide to walk through side-by-side at the same time. Sam wondered just how small he appeared in the Prime's eyes, because everything he'd seen correlating to the Autobots was expansive. For even a second, did he appear insect-like (as described by the Decepticons) too?

Whatever it was, he decided to leave it alone. He had to talk to him.

Sam raised his hand and folded his fingers until one remained stretched out, the index finger pressing on a button to let Optimus know he had company of the human species. Somewhat muffled footsteps trailed closer to the doors, and within ten seconds or so, one of the mighty doors was opened. A large metal head peeked out, and large sapphire blue optics peered out and then glanced down, where they widened, just a bit.

"Sam?"

"H-hey Optimus…" Sam said softly, not too softly that the Prime's audio receptors couldn't pick it up, but still said in a low volume.

"Sam… would you come in? I have been wanting to speak with you." Optimus told the young man, who nodded in a reply. Optimus reached down and lightly grasped him around the middle, and brought him inside the office.

'_Step one you say we need to talk_

_He walks you say sit down it's just a talk_

_He smiles politely back at you_

_You stare politely right on through'_

Sam couldn't help but notice the simple, yet admirable architectural layout of Optimus's office. There were concrete arches going up into a vaulted ceiling, edged in obsidian and marble. There were a few paintings, but one in particular was of a ship out on the sea facing the sun as it sank towards the horizon. There was a huge gap missing, as if something needed to be filled in… and it bugged Sam immensely.

He was carried to a huge metal desk with an ebony sheen, bookcases filled with datapads, and other random knickknacks. There were a few cybertronian-sized chairs, but on top of the desk there were few-human sized chairs as well so that it was easier for Sam and government officials to converse with Optimus. Optimus set him down gently, and Sam took a seat, feeling nervousness swell up from the pit of his stomach and beyond. He had to set things right. Even though the Prime had been as welcoming as ever, Sam could sense Optimus's unease and underlying worry. Sam knew that he didn't look in the peak of health, not with all the stress he was going through (and subsequently causing the worried leader).

'_Some sort of window to your right_

_As he goes left and you stay right_

_Between the lines of fear and blame_

_And you begin to wonder why you came'_

"Sam… during the course of the events in the past few earth days… I must say you have worried me and the other Autobots more than you'll ever know." The leader's tone was not full of anger, nor did it carry any hint of sadness. For Sam, it was very disquieting.

Sam looked down at his feet, feeling shame lick at his feet and upward across his body much like how hungry flames devoured a forest. "I'm… so sorry, Optimus. I never wanted to worry anyone like that… but I seem to bring trouble wherever I go." At this last comment, bitterness seemed to clout Sam's tone, causing the mech before him to cycle air through his vents in a heavy sigh.

"Samuel, you do not cause trouble… you just seem to have a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Optimus said patiently, calmly, though on the inside his spark was being weighed down even more at the distress that Sam was facing, feeling it infect the air and carry over to him.

'_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_

_Somewhere along in the bitterness_

_And would I have stayed up with you all night_

_Had I known how to save a life'_

"I always need to be saved, monitored, and doted upon. What I've done that was considered important means nothing the next, unless it threatens my life." Sam's fists clenched as they gripped the fabric of his khaki shorts, eyes looking up at Optimus with despair written all over their chocolate depths. "Why… why does this keep happening? I was always a good kid growing up, and I thought I dealt with this when Egypt came calling but… I can't do this Optimus. I try and I try to keep everyone thinking that I'll be fine when fucked up shit like this happens, but this… I just can't comprehend this." He waved a hand towards his chest. "I never knew I would be normal after meeting you guys, but what little normality I had just got packed up and sent off on a permanent vacation ever since the last battle."

Optimus's mouthplates ground together as he pursed his metal lips. "Sam… Fate rarely calls at a moment of our choosing. These things… happened for a reason."

'_Let him know that you know best_

_Cause after all you do know best_

_Try to slip past his defense_

_Without granting innocence'_

"Don't patronize me Optimus, you told me that before." Sam's bottom lip trembled. "I just feel like I have no more control over what is happening to me. It's frightening."

Optimus reached out a servo for Sam, a beacon of safety and an invitation to get closer to the mech- something Sam had never really done while Optimus was in his bipedal form. He'd cuddled up to Bumblebee, but never to Optimus. He didn't know what to think of it.

"Please step onto my servo, Sam. I want to make your fear disappear." He tried to hide it, but in his voice was his verbal plight coming from his spark, demanding that he take initiative to comfort his future Sparkmate.

'_Lay down a list of what is wrong_

_The things you've told him all along_

_And I pray to God he hears you_

_And I pray to God he hears you'_

After a moment of hesitation, Sam stepped onto Optimus's servo, and the mech drew Sam closer to his chest, the young man settling close to where the spark chamber was buried under layers of metallic armor. Sam was sitting on the mech's palm, shaking. The tremors coming from the minute shockwaves traveling from Sam's body into the bot's frame, causing shivers from the contact, until Optimus put the bit on his shaking and reined in his self-control from its momentary romp of freedom.

"Now… Sam, I feel great guilt upon what happened to you. We had never detected any form of Decepticon activity near your college, yet they managed to get to you. And for that, I am deeply sorry." Optimus's head was bowed in shame, the shutters on his optics lowered. "But what I know the others have told you… we are all there for you Sam. I just wish I had been there more."

'_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_

_Somewhere along in the bitterness_

_And would I have stayed up with you all night_

_Had I known how to save a life'_

"Optimus… it's not your fault. I… I just… I don't know what to do." Finally, the dam broke and the tears came pouring forth from Sam's eyes. They could be stopped after some time, but not his humiliation at crying in front of the one mech he admired the most in the universe. He pressed his face into his arms, which were resting on top of his bent knees, not wanting Optimus to see his tears, his weakness showing through.

Sam didn't see the brief flash of light, but when arms began to wrap themselves around his shoulders, and felt a hard, muscled chest at his back, he panicked just a bit, and struggled. "Opti-" he tried to yell, but was silenced with a masculine "shhh" noise issuing from the man behind him. He knew that voice…

"Humans… so simple, but so complex (and stubborn) at times." Optimus murmured while holoform hands worked softly on the knots in Sam's shoulders, to resolve some of the tension between them.

'_As he begins to raise his voice_

_You lower yours and grant him one last choice_

_Drive until you lose the road_

_Or break with the ones you've followed'_

"How can you be so calm?" Sadness had evolved into rage, replacing grief with the eagerness of wanting to blame someone, anyone, even though he knew it wasn't fair, he couldn't help lashing out. His emotions had been caged, and now they were all flying out through the busted door.

The wonderful fake-yet-oh-so-real hands stopped their kneading, and instead wrapped around him and pulled him closer. "Many vorns of practice." Optimus's voice purred from behind him, yet still sitting in the large mech's hand, he could feel the vibrations and the humming from Optimus's own systems travel up through his feet and into his being. It was working wonders on his depression and anger, dissolving the emotion slowly, making him more peaceful… and sleepy.

'_He will do one of two things_

_You will admit to everything_

_Or he'll say he's just not the same_

_And you'll begin to wonder why you came'_

Optimus began to speak, once more. At first, Sam heard everything with absolute clarity.

"Sam… I know what has happened has frightened you greatly. I am scared for you." Arms tightened around Sam, lightly to avoid pain. "But I believe that you can get through this. You already have the support of so many people… your parents, your friends, the Autobots… and myself. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, and help you figure out… the full extent of the changes. No matter if you are angry or sad; you can come to me and talk at any time, unless there is a Decepticon attack going on, alright?"

'_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_

_Somewhere along in the bitterness_

_And would I have stayed up with you all night_

_Had I known how to save a life'_

Sam 'hmm'ed appreciatively. Optimus's holohands must have had some kind of magic touch, because every light brush, every touch left a trail of warmth in its wake and left him craving more contact. Even the metal servo he sat upon felt like he was sitting on a heated seat- it was wonderful. Though he was occupied by the sensations he was feeling, he still heard those words. "Optimus… Thank you… you've always been a good friend to me… even sacrificed your life for mine. You saved me." Sam sighed, already feeling his eyelids droop. "Thank you for being there for me."

With a rare surge of strength, Sam twisted around and hugged Optimus in his holoform, surprising the mech greatly. Sam's eyes were closed, so he did not see the tiny blush that made itself apparent on the holoform's cheeks.

Within seconds, Optimus regained control and hugged Sam back, a warm and indulgent smile creeping up on his face. "You're welcome, Sam."

No reply, but that didn't deter Optimus from nearly swallowing his glossa in nervousness as he wanted to talk about the real reason he wanted to speak to Sam earlier. "Sam… when I talked to you earlier today, I had wanted to talk about the situation, but I also had another reason…" If he didn't have his holoform out, he'd be shifting from stabilizing servo to stabilizing servo in mounting anxiety. "I have come to believe that… I have feelings that stem beyond deep friendship for you."

After seconds of waiting, Optimus opened his optics, having expected some kind of violent, or (knowing Sam) a spastic response of outright shock and disgust. But there was nothing, just soft whistles being made from air coming in and out Sam's lungs.

Not knowing whether to be happy or sad, Optimus just muttered one word. "Slag." Still, he could only look on in fondness- he would have rather confessed to a coherent and conscious Sam, not an unresponsive Sam, even if it was easier to speak that way.

Deactivating his holoform, Optimus realized he needed to place Sam where he would be comfortable, instead of sleeping in his servo. It was then, that he made the trip to his berth, and found a small (by Cybertronian terms) pillow that was big enough to fit five people on the surface. He set Sam on the pillow, and placed the temporary berth close to him, but not in harm's way (should he move in his sleep).

After settling on his berth, he set his chronometer to wake him in a few earth hours' time. Hopefully then, Ratchet would have better news about Sam's future… and he would still continue to wonder if he and Sam would have a future.

'_How to save a life_

_How to save a life'_

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR PART TWO**

* * *

Alternative Scene (Between Sam and Ratchet):

"Just _where _do you think you were going, Samuel James Witwicky?"

"I… was going to talk with Optimus." Sam stared at Ratchet, who stared back. All was silent, until Bumblebee snuck onto the scene and used his radio.

"_It's the eye of the tiger- it's the thrill of the fight- rising up to the challenge of our rival, and the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night and he's watching us all with the eye… of the tiger…"_

Both shouted, "Bumblebee, you are NOT helping!"

Bumblebee sulked. "I just wanted to set the mood…"

* * *

BONUS Alternative Scene (Between Primus and Sam):

"As you can see, he brought new mechs and will try to kill you again, Sam." Purple optics centered in on Sam's being, and Sam clenched his fists as he began to speak once more.

"What must I do?" Sam asked softly, standing steadfast before the ancient being.

Primus took a deep breath and then began to quote, "take the ring to Mordor, and drop it into the fiery chasm from whence it came!"

Sam blinked in surprise, hardly believing what had just entered his ears. "Ring? What ring?"

Primus nearly dropped Sam in surprise. "You mean your name isn't Frodo?"

"Do I _look like a hobbit to you?_" Sam asked with a hint of anger.

"…If you take into account that I am at least 150 feet or 45.72 meters tall in your human terms, then yes, yes you do."

"…Fuck you."

* * *

**1**- Here, I was tempted to write a JoltxMiles mature moment… **Facepalm **I'm so bad.

**2**- This is yet another _Axis Powers Hetalia_ reference. The joke is that the state of Florida is shaped like a penis, and so it is the penis of the nation-tan America, just like how France's penis is the Eiffel Tower. I love Hetalia. =w= Also, apparently people liked to believe that the Fountain of Youth is in Florida.

**Songs used**: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, How To Save A Life by The Fray.

**Angelic**: Holy fuck, we're done with part two BUT THERE IS STILL A PART THREE THAT NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN! Yes, you all want to kill me now. I apologize profusely, but I've been slaving for almost a month trying to get this little bugger done. XD Okay, onto author notes. I did do **some** research concerning the whole thing with telomeres and such, but **I DO NOT CLAIM THIS RESEARCH AS MY OWN**. I looked at what telomeres were, and ran with the idea of the AllSpark energy being contained in Sam with almost no outlet, causing him to have an extended life. Sam is freaking out about it because one; he almost died a day before, two; he has a lot to take in. That's a lot of stress on a person, and no matter how wonderful one may think eternal life might be, there is always that horrible sense of knowing that all of the people you know and love will die before you. Evidently, he seeks out support, yet at the same time rejects it. He doesn't know exactly what he wants; just that he wasn't ready for this new curve ball thrown at him. This is probably about as angsty as Sam will EVER get in this story. Also, we'll be moving the story along in part three. Shit happens and there'll be a party of epic proportions. Anyway, I wanted to emphasize friendship and familial support. Anyone who is depressed and scared could use a shoulder or many to lean on, and Sam takes that opportunity. Part three shall be up as soon as I can write it; however college will most likely get in the way, so I apologize in advance for slow updates. So please review, because I love getting feedback!


	6. December Part III

**AC**: Once again, I'm back! Thanks once again for all the kind reviews!!! It always is a pleasure to hear the thoughts of my audience (seriously). I also have to point this out: 141 favorites, 212 people have this on alert and this is on 14 c2s. HOLY F*** ON A F*** SANDWICH (Bonus points if you know where that comes from)!!! Over 12600 hits?! I love you all!

**Disclaimer**- If I owned Transformers, I'd be a lot older than I am, and Transformers was around before I was born. Therefore, I do not own it. I also don't own Punk'd, Ashton Kutcher, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, or any of the song lyrics used.

**This chapter's dedication**: Wolf Mystic, who has been the first to review each chapter for a couple of chapters now. Thanks for being so loyal, as well as you other reviewers who I see consistently! **Gives you all sweets **

Also, this is **dedicated to my beta**, Aozoran, who keeps inspiring me (go check out her fanfic _Willing Sacrifice_- it's got OP/Sam goodness as well as some Jolt/Miles ;D). She has done such a great job and took a lot of time to beta this. I don't know how I did this without her! ALL OF YOU THANK HER NOW! XD

**What You'll See in This Chapter**- even more development on Sam's condition, a lil' angst, Miles has Cybertronian Anatomy 101, OP/SAM goodness, Prowl actually SAYS something!, obscure references, holiday plans, Primus drops another bombshell on Sam, the party I've mentioned _finally _comes, gift-giving, and Sam gives Prowl the best gift he could ever ask for.

**Note**: I caved and posted another Transformers multi-chapter story up on this website. So in conjunction with school, that little baby might get in the way. However, I will NEVER forget about this story. The only way it will stop being updated is all if something horrible happens to me.

**Note 2**: With all the swearing that goes on in this chapter, I'm starting to wonder if I should change the rating to M already… XD

**URGENT NEWS**: Koluno1986 has completed this picture at my request- a JoltxMiles pic. LOVE IT. The link is on my profile, GO SEE IT! Thank you so much, sweetspark~!

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love**

**Chapter Four, December Part THREE**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"_Song lyrics"_

**"Comm Link Speech"**

_:Bond link speech:_

At NEST Headquarters in Diego Garcia-

Normal POV

For the next three days following what Sam dubbed "the Incident That Is Not To Be Spoken Of," the aforementioned boy felt he could _not_ even look at the Autobot leader in the same way he had previously. He didn't know why, but ever since then, he felt like something had changed between them.

When he had awoken several hours later, after falling asleep in the worst moment, in the capable hands of the large bot, Sam had found Optimus was still asleep (or recharging, which was the term they used). It was a fascinating sight to see the Prime in such a vulnerable state recharging peacefully. The strain of keeping all the Autobots in line, negotiating peace agreements (among other sorts of agreements on arms use, travel rights, etc) with the United States government, planning for future battles with the Decepticons… all of it seemed to melt away from Optimus's facial plates. His scarred chassis was relaxed. And if Sam was quiet, he could hear the slight whistle of air cycling through Optimus's vents; the deep throbbing hum of his systems at work and sometimes what sounded like the purr of a powerful engine. The bot's battle mask had also been retracted before he had gone into recharge, and Sam gazed upwards in both wonder and amazement at the sheer amount of metalwork, paint, energon, and effort it must have taken to bring in such an amazing mech into being. He was (to put it simply) just gorgeous, and the youth couldn't resist bringing a curious hand closer to the warm metal skin of the Autobot. His heartbeats echoed in his ears as the gap between them shortened; he breathed deeply, and reached forward. Reverently, Sam lightly touched the leader's smooth metal cheek.

When he did, a small arc of blue sparks leapt from his fingers to the leader's cheek, raced down the side of his face towards the rest of his chassis, causing Sam to jump back with a startled yell of "holy shit!"

Optimus was jolted abruptly from recharge within moments of the rather disturbing contact between human and Cybertronian, his hand dipped sharply into a subspace pocket without conscious processing, yanking a rather large deadly weapon from within it and pointed it at whatever threat had made Sam scream so loudly. When Optimus had onlined his blue optics, he found a beet-red Sam looking at his hands in fear and awe, the crimson stain running from beneath the edge of his collar right up to his ears. The following conversation had been one of the most awkward Sam had ever had (except for that time when the Autobots had been hiding outside his parents' house, while Judy had talked about 'Sam's Happy Time'), even the thought of it made him wince. Trying to explain to Optimus that he wasn't in any danger was bad enough, but when Optimus had asked why Sam had yelled so, Sam couldn't bring himself to lie completely and say he had a bad dream, instead, he told some of the truth (but still lied about the true reason). _"MY HANDS CAN SHOOT BLUE SPARKS! OH MY GOD!"_

The result of _that_ lie had landed him in Ratchet's med bay… again. He would never escape this place at the rate he was going. The medic had demanded to know exactly why Sam was freaking out and ran more scans than Sam would ever care to remember. Little did Ratchet know his overreaction was partly his own fault- his thoughts towards the leader had shed a little light on how he exactly felt about him- and apparently, he couldn't help but believe that for a giant "alien robot" from outer space, Optimus was actually quite handsome.

And now the thought wouldn't leave him alone.

Ratchet had asked with all seriousness (and a hint of a threat should Sam refuse to comply) exactly _how_ he came to have sparks shoot out of his hands. It was hard for Sam to admit that he had actually touched Optimus while he was recharging ("j-just because he was asleep and I wanted to know if he would wake up if I did!"), causing the energy to just come out of him and run through Optimus's body. After he had finished, Ratchet had a rather thoughtful look present on his facial plates, and questioned Sam if he felt tired after the event. Sam had shaken his head, and in answer to the stream of questions from Ratchet, kept shaking his head.

That was until Optimus was brought in. Having been waiting in the "waiting room" while Ratchet dealt with Sam, the Prime was finally allowed to enter. And much to Sam's embarrassment, Ratchet asked him if he could do it again. He couldn't tell if the Prime was embarrassed because of his own inner conflict, but Ratchet could detect the sudden increase in the amount of air Optimus was cycling through his vents.

Sam tried, but nothing came out. So Ratchet had turned to Optimus, and asked him some of the same questions. His answers, coupled with Sam's, gave Ratchet enough room to think and hypothesize about what in the Matrix was going on between the pair. The answer he had come up with the following day was that Sam was shedding some of the AllSpark fragment's energy that was restrained within Sam's body via touch, which resulted in Optimus suddenly feeling energized (even more so than he would after a normal recharge session). Sam had not been allowed to touch any Autobot or electrical device for the rest of the day and well into the next day, as Ratchet wanted to know if it was something that Sam could control or would be controlled by.

Sam hoped with all his heart that it wasn't the latter that would happen.

So he had been forbidden from making contact with any of the Autobots (as well as any electrical appliance) and found that it was quite difficult for him _not _to touch them. He had always greeted Bumblebee with a hug every morning, would take rides in his alt mode and once in a while, he would sleep within his guardian's arms. He made it a point to get to know (or at least talk to) the Autobots he hadn't known well (aka the newer bots)- he had played videogames with Sideswipe against Mudflap and Skids (which involved some contact; when his team won, he would give Sideswipe a low five- meaning the bot would hold his hand down low for Sam to hit in celebration). He had hung out with Jolt once; the bot had freaked out when Sam found a frog and his family near the base's northwest corner hanging out in an old, vine-ridden shack that used to hold shovels and other garden equipment. As a result, Jolt had staked his claim on the area and didn't allow anyone (except for Miles, and on occasion Sam) to go in, not wanting to disturb the fragile little ecosystem that had developed in its abandonment by the NEST crew. 'Froggy' and his family got to live the good life, relatively undisturbed and enjoying the fresh water Jolt would pour into the makeshift 'pond' that was inside. Sam hardly got to touch anything, rather, Miles was the one Jolt trusted to check on his little friends while he was out on patrol. Maybe he should call them the Frog Patrol…

Even if Sam wasn't that fond of frogs, he still found himself getting frustrated. Humans are very tactile creatures, and Sam had a tendency to touch things like any other normal person would. Now Sam was learning that he needed to be careful of what he was touching, at least for the time being. It was stifling for him. He liked using the computer, his cell phone, his video games, but that wasn't allowed until Ratchet figured out his weird new 'condition.' Hell, he couldn't even touch a _toaster_. It made things a little harder on him, and as a result, he had to depend a little more on his friends and family that weren't made out of metal.

At least for the past few days it gave him a reasonable excuse to avoid Optimus Prime, even if he wasn't proud of it. Sam had always enjoyed speaking with the Autobot leader, but ever since 'the Incident' he clammed up, got sweaty, and his skin flushed to the point where he was sure that he resembled a tomato if he so much as looked the mech's way. He knew where the path he was on led to- either the end of a friendship or the beginning of a relationship, but the boy did not want to ponder how one such relationship would work- only that it couldn't possibly be something for him. He just had a very bad case of hero-worship and that's where he would leave it. It had to be… there was no other logical explanation.

That thought brought him back to the present. It was December 21st, the first day of winter (which it would have been if he were back home in Tranquility). He was actually on his way to Ratchet's med bay, as the bot had demanded he stop by every day so that Ratchet could monitor any changes his body was going through. When he had mentioned this to Leo earlier that morning, the Hispanic boy had just laughed and clapped him on the back while saying, "I guess you get to go through puberty… again!" Sam punched him in the shoulder in retaliation while blushing like crazy. 'Stupid Leo…'

Soon he arrived, with only a very light sheen of sweat on the back of his neck. He wasn't tired, just slightly warm. Sam knew that when he had first explored the base, he had been gasping for air at the end after going from one end to another. He frowned and bit his lip, trying not to let it get to him.

When Ratchet caught sight of the young man, he ushered him over to an examination table. "Hello Sam. I trust you've been good and have not been touching things you shouldn't have?" Ratchet got out his multiple scanners, and made the boy take his shirt off.

Miles, who had been polishing some of Ratchet's tools, thought to himself (as he wouldn't dare say this out loud, Sam would kill him), 'well you see some urges just can't be denied… haha, Sam, I know your secret!' He was of course, kidding (not that anyone would know, he had wisely kept his mouth shut).

"I've been good. I haven't touched anything you told me not to." Sam looked up at Ratchet with a pleading expression. "Can I go now? Please, I really don't want to sit here very long." Sam felt twitchy and very uncomfortable sitting on the table without a shirt on, and the light sensors that passed over his skin only made him feel worse. The red light seemed to hone in on something within him, and the scanner that produced the light made several large beeping noises.

Ratchet checked the data feedback from the scanners and his optics widened. "Sweet Primus…" He swore reverently, "Your heart… it's…"

Sam sat up straighter, feeling the aforementioned organ begin to pump faster. "What, what happened?! Am I alright?"

Ratchet began to laugh, and it wasn't one of those 'funny haha' laughs, it was more of those 'haha oh god' laughs, which convinced Sam that he was about to get more news he probably wouldn't like. It made him sweat, and he was quite certain that he needed to use the restroom as he shifted his weight back and forth. "Ratchet, please, don't do this to a guy alright? You're scaring me here. You think you're so funny with your laughing fit, and using your crazy techno med stuff to freak me out?! I'm done. I'm done. Do me a favor and throw me a piece of metal here (beware Ratchet and the Wrench of Doom!), or better yet, let me go. I need to take a piss and I'm not doing this on your table, thank you." Sam rambled, that familiar wide-eyed look that he sported each time he was under great stress making a rather sudden appearance.

Ratchet looked almost like his circuits were on the fritz, because he couldn't stop the noises escaping from his vocal capacitor, or the tremors running through his chassis. Miles just sighed and shooed Sam with a flick of the wrist, slight smirk present on his face. He looked oddly comfortable behind that desk. "Go to the bathroom then come back, I think he's just had a brain fart, or in his case a chip fart."

When Sam took off out the med bay's doors, he heard Ratchet stop his activity to berate Miles. "What in the name of Primus is this 'brain fart?' It's one of those made up human slang terms, isn't it?!" He didn't get to hear Miles's response, but when he came back, he found Ratchet not laughing (thankfully) and Miles with his arms crossed and a wrench in his hands. Sam just stared- _everyone _knew what the Hatchet's favorite wrench looked like, and Miles had it. Miles had the Wrench of Doom… And doom could soon follow if he didn't behave…

'How the heck did he get that?' Sam wondered with an unconscious shudder as he sat back down. He was feeling much better, but he still felt over-energetised, very nerve and muscle snapping with energy. He started kicking his feet (the table was a bit higher off the ground than his legs could reach), which Miles raised an eyebrow at. "Sam, you didn't… take something, did you? You're acting like that time you drank eight cups of coffee before pr-"

"No one needs to know about that!" Sam squeaked, twitching. He really wanted to get rid of some of this anxiety he was feeling, slag it (he realized that he was starting to pick up on Cybertronian language the longer he hung out with the Autobots and didn't really care). "I just… really, need to burn some energy off."

That brought Ratchet's attention back on Sam (as he had been eyeing his wrench thoughtfully), and he sighed. "Sam, I have a theory for why you are feeling this way." He saw Sam perk up, finally, the kicking ceased. It was then Ratchet decided to continue. "I am guessing that you had some sort of desire to touch Optimus (for whatever reason) the other day and the fragment of the AllSpark that is still in your body reacted to that desire. The energy is very reactive to Cybertronian physiology and it instinctively sought an exit, so some of it left. The reason only _some _and not _all_ of it was dispersed is because the volume of energy within you has an extraordinarily large capacity, and if it all left at once, you would die." Ratchet's optics sought Sam's eyes, making sure he knew that Sam understood. As he got a shaky nod, he knew it was alright to continue.

"Due to the statistics generated in my processor, the scans, and my medical knowledge, I am led to believe that the Spark inside you is causing your energy fluctuations-" Ratchet was cut off by Sam, who jumped to his feet.

"Spark?! What spark?!" Sam yelled with shock apparent on his face, what was also apparent were the tingles of blue lightning that raced over his fingers without him noticing it in the slightest. Miles certainly did though, as he watched warily from his position, with the large, broom-length wrench resting against a warm palm. There was some tremors in his arms occurring from the strain of trying to hold it up (it wasn't designed with humans in mind, after all), but Miles didn't seem to pay attention to that; instead his attention was riveted on Ratchet and Sam.

Ratchet looked somewhat irritated at the outburst, but began to speak again. "Yes, you have a Spark. The fragment you swallowed must have a keen sense of preservation, because it refuses to leave your body. Some of that energy has solidified into a Spark around the AllSpark fragment (which feeds the Spark with energy) and since it is connected very closely to your heart, your heart is able to circulate the energy in your body through your veins. I suspect that when you are under distress, the emotions you feel cause the Spark to pulse. And much like how one can purge their tanks (or for humans, their stomachs), your Spark purged some energy, which was released through your hands. If that energy touches a Cybertronian, it energizes them and your mind returns to a calmer state. With the way you tend to react to everything, I almost don't believe that, but my neural scanners say otherwise. I believe you could _access_ some of this energy without getting upset if you try meditation. There are a couple mechs that could help you with that- such as Prowl- if you can catch him, that is."

Sam was quiet for a minute, and then he said, "Is that… everything you have to tell me?"

"No. The reason I forbade you from touching electric appliances is because of the AllSpark's power- despite the fact that you only have a fragment within you, I believe that if you used this energy on an appliance, it would come to life with a Spark of its own, just as it happened before at your house. Be careful. Whether it will be a friend or an enemy is unknown." Ratchet then looked at him with a level gaze, calm optics and a neutral expression present on his features. "Also… I suspect that if you use this energy excessively, your life will be shorten significantly. Use this power wisely… That is all for now."

Sam did not run out of the room like Miles thought he would. The sparks that jumped across Sam's hands were growing bigger, turning into little streams of lightning. Instead, he stiffly said, "thank you," and then walked out of the med bay, presumably to find a place to think. Miles watched him go, worry pooling in his chest. He knew Sam was upset, but was hiding it behind a shaky smile and a fast gait. He got up, left the wrench abandoned on the table (after some difficulty- that thing was fragging _heavy_), and prepared to follow him until there was a servo blocking his path.

"Ratchet…" He said pleadingly, eyes lifting to study the Autobot's face. "Let me go." The boy attempted to use Ratchet's fingers as leverage to lift himself up, but the medic moved them. He gazed at Ratchet beseechingly, attempting to plead his case with just a simple look.

The CMO ignored the look and simply shook his head like he'd seen the humans do to indicate a negative response. "No. Sam… Sam can handle it. He may be young, but he is strong. He'll be fine. I already contacted someone to check on him." He had gotten a quick response from his correspondent to see that Sam was spoken to and the medic smiled inwardly.

"Are you sure he'll be fine?" Miles wasn't quite convinced.

"Yes, I am sure. Now let's get back to your lessons… today we'll be learning about the finer points of Cybertronian fuel tanks, pumps and energon consumption…" Ratchet pulled out diagrams and spare pumps as he began to teach Miles all about the parts and metal that go into making fuel tanks and pumps suitable for mechs, and why certain mechs had a low tolerance for high grade Energon.

Miles was paying close attention, but he still wondered who would soothe him. Would it be Sam's parents, or the former-EJC-turned-friend? Would Leo feel like comforting the boy, or would he tease him as he was apt to do? Or better yet, would he send Bumblebee or another mech now that Sam was allowed to touch them again?

The Hatchet's favorite wrench thudded as it smacked the table top hard enough to make a small dent. "Miles, are you listening?!"

Miles put away the thoughts for another time as he snapped to attention saluting his teacher, shocked eyes on a smirking Ratchet (who looked a little _too_ pleased to see him frightened). "Y-yes sir!"

"Good. Now, if some fuel tanks are made with the wrong percentage of certain alloys, they are unable to consume high-grade as it degrades the inside of their tanks; and in turn, their pumps (which circulate the energy from energon to the mech fluid wires). This causes them to purge the energon. In the worst case scenario, it actually _eats _through the metal of both tank and pump… and the mech or femme is slagged. Frag those who don't even know how to make a proper fuel tank…" Ratchet continued on while the recipient of his request made their way towards Sam's location.

* * *

By the time Sam made it to the western end of the base, the sun was already beginning to dip dangerously close to the horizon. A deep pink hue was splashed across the sky, as if it were ink splattered across a canvas. Scarlet and violet hues were also mixed in liberally, with the former cornflower blue color ebbing away into blackness. Sam stared at it all with hands braced against the metal fence, which was designed to keep others from taking an accidental (or intended) dive off the cliff. The western end, which he was on, was situated on a high cliff, while the rest of the base was much more flat. He sighed, and stared up at the sky. He didn't ask for normalcy, but sometimes he felt like he couldn't adjust quickly enough to all the new changes in his life, much less his body.

He felt frustrated, as punctuated by the crackling noise coming from the energy emitted from his hands, and he felt a tiny bit scared. But he needed to calm down.

'You are not alone… you have support. You have everything you ever needed.'

So why did he feel so alone?

Loud footsteps shook the ground as Sam heard the approach of the one mech he hadn't spoken to in three days. "Sam? Are you alright?" Sam turned around when he saw the large form of Optimus Prime's bipedal form kneeling down to get closer to him. Sam felt a blush come unbidden to his cheeks as he was reminded of what happened three days previous, and tried not to let his body language show that he was suddenly and inexplicably nervous. It failed, because Optimus could hear the crackles of what sounded almost like fire and electricity, and his optics picked up the flashes of blue light. "Sam…?"

Sam backed up. "I… I'm fine. Look at me, no harm done, I mean, I'm not hurt. Everything's just peachy. It couldn't be better." He was trembling, and tried to control the tremors in his body in vain.

"Sam… clearly everything is not 'peachy'. Your body temperature is higher than normal, you are shaking, and I can see the energy that Ratchet told me about coming out of your hands. Why are you backing away?" Sam thought he could detect a note of hurt within that deep, gravelly voice. He looked at Sam intently, emotions hovering just behind vibrant blue optics.

Sam looked away and bit his lip, he was trying _so hard_ not to cry, scream or do anything- he cared about Optimus, he hurt his feelings, and he was a big mess. "Opt- Optimus… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that I'm scared of you or anything… I- I just… there's something that bothers me. _Look _at my hands. It does this when I get restless, scared, or anything. I can't calm down. I…" Sam looked down at his feet this time, face temporarily hidden as Sam swiped at his eyes. He didn't want the Prime to see his tears of shame. When he looked back up at Optimus, the Prime was temporarily frozen by the lost look on Sam's face. "Optimus… let me ask you something."

"Yes?" Optimus asked gently, wanting the boy to put his full trust in him. It had hurt so deeply when Sam stepped away- almost like he was ready to flee. He couldn't ignore the calling within him- he wanted to be near the boy he was in love with. Seeing that face contort into fear and nervousness made him scared himself; he could fight Decepticons and other physical enemies, but it wasn't always that one could soothe the hurt within another. He was determined to try, though, if it would put a smile back on that youthful face.

"Am… Am I still human?" The question finally came out, and the energy seemed to reach its peak, the potency of it showing as it shined a darker blue. This question was important to Sam and Optimus knew he would do everything in his power to appease the boy's fears. He stretched a servo out to Sam, so that he could hold him properly, fingers curling slightly around the warm body.

Hesitating, Sam took a deep breath before he stepped into Optimus's grasp. The Autobot commander slowly brought the young man up towards his facial plates, where they could truly talk 'face-to-face.' "Optimus… will you answer my question?"

All was quiet for a few nano-klicks as the two gazed at each other. One gaze came from deep brown eyes and was full of anxiety, and perhaps a small degree of hope for a positive answer. The other broadcast by sapphire blue optics, shone with kindness, sympathy and wisdom. Finally, Optimus began to speak.

"When I look at you Sam, I see a human being, a brave man who never should have been forced into our war. You may never have asked for these changes, but you have taken them as they have come with such bravery. You accepted us for who we are and never asked for much in return. You have done so much for our kind and I. Despite the fears you may have, there is nothing wrong with you. You still have flesh and blood and bones that break just like any other human being. There have been changes within you, but whatever you become, you are still you. You are still Samuel James Witwicky, and you will always be the Sam that we all care about." Optimus finished his small speech and hoped that some of his feelings came through his message, which was trying to convey that Optimus did indeed care for him deeply, and always would, no matter how much Sam changed physically. "No matter what happens, you'll always be Samuel to me."

He waited as Sam processed the speech, and without warning, Sam leaped off of his hand and onto his shoulder. "S-Sam?! What are you doing?" The mech was worried that the small organic might fall, after all, the metal plating was smooth (except for where it was scarred) and he could slip. Sam however, had grabbed onto one of Optimus's smokestacks and was situated on his shoulder, very close to his head. He was about to make his worry known when he felt small arms embrace the side of his head, with a chest pressed up against his audio receptors. "Samuel…"

There was no degree of separation between them, not with Sam's body melding so close to his metal plating. Sam whispered, "Optimus… thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that." There was the lightest sensation of a ghostly touch against his antennae, like the soft brush of a Cybertronian butterfly-bot wing. It left a warm sensation there on the sensitive metal plating as he slowly began to register what just happened. After several seconds, he got the message: Sam had _kissed_ him. He nearly fried his logic circuits in surprised shock (which is something he thought only Prowl or Red Alert could do), but managed to save face and stay calm. Sam shifted so that he was sitting on his shoulder instead of straddling it, and leaned against the Prime's head.

"Sam, what was that?" Optimus asked carefully, almost hesitating himself. He tried to cut down on the hope blooming within him, but it refused to be contained. It threatened to burst out of his Spark and interact with the one he instinctively knew was curled inside Sam's being. He had to access Ratchet's medical files in order to confirm it, but the answer just made his Spark smug with satisfaction. Even before the events that had happened in the past few weeks, he had always known since meeting the boy that there was something special about him. Now Optimus had just a bit more in common with Sam.

Sam laughed lightly, almost nervously in the way he looked briefly at his feet, then into the sky. "It was a thank you kiss. Sometimes you give one to show your appreciation." On the outside, he was somewhat fine. On the inside, he was freaking out (to say the least). 'What in the world possessed me to do that? I just totally kissed him! He must think I'm some kind of weirdo! Oh god, oh god. I kissed a giant alien robot faction leader. Somebody shoot me.' Maybe he needed that on a bumper sticker?

Optimus was about to reply when he received a message in his comm link that he had to deliver to Sam. "Sam, Bumblebee asked me to tell you that Judy would like you to come inside. It's getting rather late and you haven't eaten dinner yet… Do you want to go in?" The sun was already almost gone, and inky dark purple shades were dominating the rest of the sky with only the bright gleaming stars and the moon to light it up. Still, it was quite beautiful.

Sam sighed, and nodded. "Alright. We might as well go in. I don't suppose you wouldn't mind giving me a ride…?"

The large mech chuckled as he lifted Sam off his shoulder and set him down on the ground gently. A moment later, he began to transform back into his Peterbilt alt mode. The sight never ceased to amaze Sam, even after seeing it so many times before. The fluid motion continued until finally, the last piece was in place and there was a whole truck looking like it just rolled off the assembly line, fresh and sparkling clean. The door popped open and Sam grinned as he ran up and got into the passenger side. The door closed, and then they made their way back to the main part of the base where Sam would be dropped off. Optimus would then go to the Autobot hangar to his quarters to recharge, as he usually did this once his energy levels dropped below 75 percent. He knew most of the other Autobots were most likely resting as well, except for Sideswipe, who was supposed to be patrolling this joor. Prowl was most likely up as well, since he rarely let off his duties now that Jazz (who was the one bot who could easily get Prowl to take a break) wasn't around to coerce him into recharging. Optimus could _order _his second in command to recharge, but he didn't want to do that unless it was fully necessary, and he felt it was a rude thing to do. He trusted Prowl to do his job and he did it well. The red and blue mech knew that if something were to happen to him, Prowl would take good care of the Autobots.

The only thing that worried him would be how Sam would fare if he were gone.

He rolled to a stop outside the stairwell where Sam could access the staircase, which would take him up to the cafeteria on the second floor. Sam lingered in the comfortable seat reluctant to leave Optimus's interior, but he knew that there was a very important holiday party to be planned in the next few days that he had to help with. Sighing, he ran a tender hand along the dashboard, patting the leather and leaving the tiniest sparks of blue behind. He was a lot calmer now than he was before. "Optimus?"

"Yes, Samuel?" Optimus's voice echoed from inside the cab, waiting for his reply.

"Thank you again." Sam smiled warmly before he hopped out of the truck, stumbling slightly as he landed beside the cab door. "I'll talk to you tomorrow most likely."

"I look forward to seeing you. Goodnight, Sam." Optimus rolled out towards the Autobot hangar, which was on the other side of the base. Sam watched him go, within seconds the bot turned a corner and disappeared into the gloom.

Sam sighed again, but this time in contentment. The feeling he got from just being around the calming presence of the Autobot leader lightened the weight on his shoulders; the scary thought that his body was changing in ways that he couldn't anticipate was constantly gnawing at the back of his mind. But Optimus had such a way with words that all of the stress could just ebb away- no, it was never completely gone- but it seemed to disappear until Sam forgot it was there. It was a magical feeling.

"It is getting late, Samuel James Witwicky. You should be going inside." Sam jumped nearly three feet in the air when he realized he wasn't alone. Turning with one hand on his chest, he was greeted by the sight of Prowl, fully transformed and looking at him sternly. The white and black Datsun looked somewhat tired with the way his door wings were drooping a few inches from their original height, but he still managed to maintain an air of authority over the young man, a cop to the core.

"I am going to go inside, but first of all, please call me Sam. If anyone says my full name, it's usually because they're upset with me." Sam explained.

Prowl seemed to hesitate for about a second before he straightened. "If that is what you wish, Sam."

"Yes, thank you."

Awkward silence reigned until Prowl turned away, ready to wheel on out. "You should be going on inside. I have to get back to my patrol."

Sam reached forward, a plaintive call on his lips. "Wait!" Prowl dropped his gaze back down to focus on Sam, pausing in mid motion. "I… I'm sorry." There was a questioning look on Prowl's face that quickly turned into one of pain at Sam's next comment. "I'm sorry about Jazz." Sam looked down, depression lacing his features and his voice. "It was my fault. Megatron was after me because I had the AllSpark, and Jazz tried to stop him. I'm sorry."

"No." Sam looked up when he felt a soft touch of a large servo on his shoulder. Prowl's solemn gaze was centered on him and his vocal capacitor put a hitch in his tone because of his depression. "It was not your fault. Jazz…" Those blue optics were dull, as they were set offline for a moment. When they onlined, they were full of sadness. "Jazz wanted to do what he could to help. He was specially chosen to accompany Optimus Prime and the others to Earth, so he knew what he was getting into. He wasn't head of the Special Ops for nothing." He sighed deeply. "It was not your fault, so do not believe it is."

Sam felt some of the pain lift, but not all of his misery. "He wouldn't want you to be sad for him. When I met him, he was always so upbeat… and really immersed in our culture. He loved our music. If he heard the holiday songs that were coming, he… I'm sure he would be singing them."

Prowl seemed nostalgic, almost lost in those distant memories that tickled his processors. "Yes, I think he would. He would probably sing them until the words were permanently etched into my hard drive." He sighed; door wings drooped even more, like a puppy without its master. It was clear that the 'bot really needed to recharge, but he was stubbornly clinging to his new motto: "duty before myself."

Sam put his hands on Prowl's servo, which had begun to slip off of his shoulder, and held onto its cool surface. "Prowl." Upon hearing his name, the mech shifted so that he was glancing at Sam once more. "I... for the holidays, I and my friends are giving gifts to each other, and the other Autobots. At first, I didn't know what to get you- and no, don't say anything yet- but I figured it out when I came here for Thanksgiving." Sam took a deep breath, then pinned Prowl with his determined stare. "My gift to you will be Jazz… because no one should be unhappy on the holidays, Prowl."

If Prowl had lesser control over his body functions, his jaw might have unhinged completely and opened in astonishment, allowing everyone to see his dental components. "H-how? Sam, you must be joking. The AllSpark is gone… not even Primus himself could help. It is just illogical."

Sam shook his head fervently, eyes glowing with a silent faith burning in his gaze. "You're wrong. It's not completely gone- a fragment remains, and it is inside my body. The energy… it's always present within me. I'll bring him back- with or without anyone's help. Just wait and see. As for Primus… I'm sure he'll be _thrilled _to hear that…"

"W-what…?" Flabbergasted, Prowl could only watch as the boy vanished through the doorway, out of reach and out of sight. 'There's no way that he could. Why is he so determined to try?' Prowl looked at his servos as they shook with confused anxiety. 'Even though my processor disapproves of the tiniest probability that this could come true… I cannot help but hope.'

Minutes passed in silence before finally, the white and black Datsun went to his quarters to recharge. Before his optics were offlined completely, the bot wondered if he had dreamt the scenario up. Sighing, the SIC set his chronometer to wake him in a few joors, and finally drifted off into a peaceful recharge.

* * *

When Sam had gone up to meet his family, he found himself being ushered to a seat at one of the tables in the cafeteria. At the long table he sat at, Mikaela, Miles, Leo, Maggie, Glen, Simmons, Keller, Ron, Will, and Epps were already seated. Miles's parents, Roderich and Clarissa Lancaster, came in and sat nearby, as well as Mikaela's father, James. They were immediately included into the multiple conversations so that no one would feel left out. Wheelie was also there with them, as he was the only Autobot at the base currently who could fit within the human quarters. He was at Mikaela's side, obviously smug that he was allowed to be there. After he greeted them, Judy came back with a steaming plate of meat, vegetables, and-

"Is that… PASTA? With tomatoes?!" Leo asked, looking ravenously at the dishes of food.

Sam stared at him, and then shook his head with a sigh. "Leo?"

"Yesss?"

"Shut up." Sam began to eat his steaming pasta first, much to the envy of Leo, who watched him (while sulking), until Judy took pity on the "growing boy" and brought him some as well. Grinning, Leo partook in his second dinner while the others looked on.

When Sam finished, the others stopped their small talk and waited until he had gotten rid of his dirty dishes until Will leaned forward. The soldier was not in uniform, but rather a soft muscle tee shirt and sweat pants, looking far like this than they had ever seen him. Sam couldn't see any visible signs of wounds from battles past, except for a small scar on his temple. Other than that, the Major looked as youthful and healthy as ever.

"So Sam," he began, "you know the party will be on New Year 's Eve, from 4 PM until whenever people decide to go to bed. We need your help planning what to do."

Sam paused, thoughtful. "First of all, we need some snazzy music to party to…"

"Glen has that covered," Maggie said helpfully. The blonde woman looked as lovely as she did two years previous, but she held the air of a woman who had matured far beyond others at her age. With her intelligence and skills, she was making an excellent living working for the United States government by being an advisor to Keller. She also helped out the Pentagon once in a while with any technical problems that were in her field of expertise to solve. Glen too did exceptionally well working for them, with his exceptional hacking skills paving the way for his new career. He was paid a high salary, and his cousin and grandma now lived with him in a larger house. His grandmother was free to drink all the prune juice she wanted to and keep her brand new carpet stain and cop-free.

Sam wondered if he still downloaded songs off the internet without paying for them… he hoped not. Did the Autobots even get an internet bill from all the surfing they did?

"Yeah, just leave it to me. We'll party like it's 1999!" Glen crowed, already formulating a list of party tunes on one of his laptops to play (they hardly ever saw him without one now). The African American typed on his computer so quickly his fingers were brown blurs, and the clicking noises made from the repeated hammering on the keyboard made Sam wonder just how much longer it would last under the strain.

"So what else do we have? We'll need help setting up a booth for the DJ- aka Glen- among tables and chairs for soldiers and other personnel to sit down…" Sam trailed off.

Keller's wrinkled face paused in thought before he spoke up. "Food and refreshments will have to be set up close by the tables. Also, the tables shouldn't be close together- they need to be accessible by _all _members of our party. There should be space for them to move- or groove, if they want to." The man almost looked like he would laugh after he said that last comment, but managed to school his features into a calm expression.

Some others weren't as used to maintaining their composure as the Secretary. "Seeing giant robots rocking out to music will be the most amusing thing I will ever see, I swear," Leo snickered, holding his sides in some pain from his laughing. Simmons, who was next to him, gave him a 'shut up' glare. Despite the way they acted each other, Simmons was like a father to him. Leo had never known his own father, as he had disappeared shortly after he was born. Even though Leo and Simmons were fierce rivals when it came to their websites, the dance of insults and praises mixed in was just their way of saying that they cared about each other. Life couldn't have turned out better.

"Let's not forget the accursed heat. It'll be hot, and we'll need a tarp or canopy set up so that we can get out of the sun." Simmons reminded, and Will wrote it down on their list which was aptly named 'Shit We Need to Get.' Sam snickered when he saw the title, nudging Miles. The other boy, who had been worried about Sam earlier that day, was visibly relaxed now that he saw Sam was doing just fine thanks to some timely intervention on the part of Optimus and Prowl. Now, he felt free to mull on what they could add to the party.

"We should decorate the main part of the hangar that connects to the outside. You know, in case they want to get out of the sun." Sam said, gesturing with his hands as he talked for emphasis. "Maybe put some balloons up, streamers, whatever works."

Will broke into a smile at that. The major had his cheek pressed into his palm, the elbow set on the table while his other arm wrote the mentioned items down. "Ironhide will _love _that. He'll probably shoot all the balloons down, calling it 'target practice.'"

"We'll have to get some energon cubes out for the Autobots' consumption too. It would be rude to make them go back to their rec room just to eat." Miles pointed out. His tone was light and respectful. Clarissa looked at him with a proud smile. She knew she had raised her boy to be a polite young man and it showed (at least, it did when she was around. Not that she knew what he was like when she wasn't present).

It was at this point that Wheelie decided to cut in. "Eeeh, you should remember that humans can't touch energon cubes without some sort of protection- like thick gloves. Otherwise, you should have one of us bots to handle them. Of course, **I **could do it." He added (even though he wasn't exactly excited to do manual labor), seeing Mikaela's face light up at his offer. It made him happy to see her pleased with him.

"Thank you Wheelie," She said in delight. She reached out to stroke his head and the bot leaned into her touch. Clarissa and Judy both couldn't help but coo at the display- they seemed to think it was cute. The two women had found a kinship in the fact that both of their sons were involved with giant robotic beings from outer space and consequently had become good friends, just as Ron, Roderich, and James were becoming friends. It made their children happy to know that they were actually getting along; however, Clarissa, Roderich, and James had yet to truly make friends with the Autobots. They were, however; making steady progress towards interacting with them, which was an encouraging sign to all.

Upon viewing this affectionate scene, Sam just made pseudo-gagging motions to Miles and Leo (Miles was sitting on his left, and Leo on his right), pretending to be disgusted. He didn't dislike the ex-Decepticon as much as he used to- in fact, he had warmed up to him. He didn't think he would ever get over Wheelie's obsession with Mikaela, though. He could understand the guardian part (seeing as he had a guardian of his own), but he didn't particularly care for the fact that Wheelie's good behavior was rewarded with the chance to hump Mikaela's leg. For some odd reason, the girl found it mildly amusing (or sometimes irritating depending on the timing) of the little bot's perverted behavior. It baffled the boy to no end.

"Perhaps we should have games (board games, video games, sports) set up as well, just in case. I don't think I want to dance the entire night, thanks." Leo pointed out. At this, he looked at Sam and Miles, whose faces bore grins. At the same time, all three of them shouted…

"BRAWL TIME!"

Will and Epps couldn't help but laugh at that. The two had played against them before and enjoyed playing video games (among other recreational games such as football (otherwise known as soccer in America, though I will call it football)) with them. It gave them a chance to unwind and forget for just a short time that they didn't have a job that put them constantly in danger. In a way, it brought out their inner child. Not to mention it was amusing as heck to see that John Keller, their boss, played _Super Smash Brothers Brawl_ as well.

"Agreed. We will have them set up as well provide other mediums for entertainment. Is that everything?" Keller asked. It was getting late, and the aged man was tired. His joints ached as well, reminding him that he wasn't as young as he used to be.

Will checked over the list, brown eyes flitting across the words on the piece of paper, and after some time he nodded. "Yes. Everything is on there, from the food to decorations, and what we plan to set up."

"Excellent." Keller got up from his seat, while everyone else rose. "I think it is time that we all got some rest. Thank you for doing your part to help plan this holiday celebration. You're all dismissed." Keller strode over to the door, where two guards waited to escort him out. He was still an important man, especially with his position as Autobot-Human Relations Secretary. With a wave, he left the premises for his own quarters.

"Alright, you heard the man. It's time for bed, Sammy." Judy said chidingly, gaining a groan from Sam.

"Do you have to say it like that?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "I'm your mother. Of course I have to say it like that," she told him with a smile.

Sam sighed. "Okay, fine. Let's go, guys." With that proclamation, everyone set off for bed, ready to rest and regain their energy for the following days. All of it would be put into getting the necessary items required for the party to be something truly special, so for the next few days, anticipation would be high and hopes higher.

But for now, Sam was content to sleep.

* * *

Sam dreamed and yet he did not.

When he 'opened' his eyes, the human found himself in what was becoming a very familiar landscape- the plains of the Cybertron of ages past, which belonged to Primus. Sam found that he was free to move as he wished this time now that he knew exactly what mech he was visiting. He made himself comfortable on the mech's servo, turning to face him.

"So."

"So…?" For once, the wise, ancient mech seemed confused.

Sam quirked an eyebrow. "You brought me here again. What do you plan to tell me this time? Am I going to start shooting lasers out of my eyes now? Or when I sneeze, I shoot out metallic boogers? I'm not so sure I like the surprises you keep throwing at me. This is my body, and I don't know half of what's going on with it anymore, but you seem to know. Care to enlighten me?" Sam set one expectant hand on the metal flesh he was sitting on, and began to tap his pointer finger repeatedly, as if he were low on time.

The mech sighed deeply, his free hand brushed against his temple for a moment. "You have a spark. That is what Ratchet told you, yes?"

"Yes. What does it really mean… to have a Spark?" Sam asked, with confusion present on his features. "Is it like… the heart of a Cybertronian? Or the soul? Because I already have a heart… and I'm not sure what to do about these… sensations I'm getting from this Spark of mine."

Primus was quiet for a few seconds, taking care to formulate the message in his mind before relaying it to the young man before him. "It… can be considered both, as everyone has their own interpretations... but I like to think of it as the soul, because it contains the essence of the mech or femme it inhabits. But if it is extinguished, the mech or femme will die- just as if your heart were to be grievously injured, you would die as well." The huge mech cycled air through his vents in what seemed to be a deep breath. "It embodies your true self, Sam. All of what makes you the person you are… your soul… has essentially just been condensed into one little, albeit powerful spark. Though the body it is bound to is not made of metal, it can still do most of the same things it would be able to do if you were a Cybertronian. You could Spark-bond with a mech or femme, though I have to warn you; you could get with sparkling that way if you interface repeatedly…"

Sam, who had been fine with the information he was being fed, had to put a stop to the rambling just then. "Wait, WHAT? Are you saying I could get _p-pregnant_?!! With a… sparkling? A baby Transformer?! Are you shitting me?!" The young man had had enough information to last him several lifetimes, his mind was reeling in complete disbelief. "B-but I'm a man! A human!!! Human men don't get pregnant!!!"

Primus tried to comfort the hyperventilating male by softly patting him on the back with one enormous finger, but it seemed to offer little comfort. Only his words could put some of his panic to rest. "Sam, calm down. Any mech or femme could get with sparkling, or pregnant (as you say), by interfacing repeatedly. The only difference is that mechs only house the spark; their sparklings must have a body built by their creators or a specially-trained Cybertronian who specializes in building protoforms. Femmes have enough kibble, or excess metal, that the sparkling can use to form its own body while inside the femme's chassis. Obviously you are not made of metal, so what I deduce is that you would only carry the Spark if this did happen to you."

"Y-you mean… interfacing?" Sam tried not to blush at the word, but he did. It was now becoming synonymous for another word he was more familiar with in the terms of the English language. "Isn't that… um, like sex?"

"In a way, yet at the same time it is much different. We have cables for minor interfacing that one can plug into a port in their chest, for transferring data as well as energy, which can be pleasurable. However, true interfacing is when the two Cybertronians merge their Sparks together. We do not have organs such as you do for reproduction." Primus coughed, feeling somewhat embarrassed speaking about something so private. How long had it been since he had to give such a talk? He could barely remember… "Any more questions you wish to ask?"

Sam put his head in his hands, wishing things could be simpler. His thoughts were racing by at n incredible speed, making him feel light-headed, but despite all of the activity his brain was generating, no solid thoughts would form. "No, I don't think so." Sam sighed deeply. "I guess it'll just take time to get used to the idea…" _'A lot of time,' _he thought.

The finger that Sam had forgotten about came to life again, stroking his spine in a gesture of soothing calm. "I am not surprised. Everything will be well…"

It seemed like everything was beginning to blur and Sam suddenly realized with a start that there was crucial information that he was sure only Primus held hat he desperately needed. "Wait!!! What about this energy? What if I wanted to bring Jazz back?!"

"The information is already within you. The fragment, though only a piece of the AllSpark, still holds all the information from the cube, just as you witnessed it before in September. You can access it if you think deeply… now go. You have busy days ahead of you…" Primus's deep voice faded out, and soon, everything was gone, as if someone turned off the light.

Sam felt his awareness begin to bleed out of him at a steady pace; making him wonder if there was an invisible leech sucking the energy out of him. Either way, he could do nothing about it, and Sam surrendered to slumber once again.

* * *

Days later, it was finally December 31st, at around two PM in the afternoon. Sam and the other humans were busy working in conjunction with some of the bots (aka Wheelie, Bumblebee, and Jolt) to get all of the preparations completed. Everyone had some specific job designated for them to accomplish, and here is how it all went down.

Judy, Clarissa, and all of the chefs in the cafeteria were working together on producing enough food to feed everyone at the base. There was meat to be grilled, salads to be made, fruits to be served, vegetables to be sliced, and snacks to be provided. There were many dishes; some were traditional American dishes, some were British, and some defied identification. For every nationality that was present, they wanted to make something to remind them of home, to foster a greater sense of unity between them. For any vegetarians and vegans among them, there were dishes for them to consume that would cater to their needs. It required hours of preparation early that morning, and for some recipes, preparations had been started as early as the night before. It was no small task, feeding a small army, but it could be done.

Roderich and James had been in charge of helping to set up refreshments, with a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. There was a small bar, with a warning sign on the harmful effects of consuming too much alcohol and if anyone was having trouble getting back to their room, to ask for assistance. No one wanted any possible tragedies on a day that was meant to be full of celebration and levity.

Ron, with some assistance from Simmons, Epps, and Will set up the tent that would produce enough shade for whole tables of soldiers to take refuge from the sun, and if an Autobot ducked down a bit, they could fit as well. With some help from other soldiers, they set up the numerous tables that Bumblebee and Jolt carried and placed under the tent, so they could unfold the legs and stand them upright. Then came the tedious task of setting up the hundreds of chairs.

Miles and Ratchet supervised the transportation of the energon cubes onto a table farther away from the human area (but not too far away), with Wheelie assisting. The cubes of the volatile energy, while currently stable, could still blow up if enough force was applied to them. It was for that reason that they needed to be kept some space away from the humans- if they exploded, they needed to be out of the range of the powerful blast they could produce.

Leo, who tended to babble in techno lingo when he got the chance, proved to be most helpful when helping Glen and Maggie set up the DJ booth and speakers (and later, the video games). The multiple extension cords and electronic equipment made Leo feel right at home and consequently he was becoming fast friends with them. He also took the liberty of informing them that they were welcome to visit his website, _The Real Effin' Deal_ any time, and didn't forget to tell them that "Robo Warrior's" website (_"Big Effin' Robots")_ paled in comparison. He neglected to mention that it belonged to Simmons, but he was sure the glare told them everything they needed to know when he loudly proclaimed that "Robo Warrior's" website sucked while the man was near.

Sam, Mikaela, and Miles were left with the task of decorating, and needless to say, they went wild. Actually, it was at a manageable level before- streamers here and there, a nice loop there, some balloon clusters… and then Sideswipe, along with Mudflap and Skids, had asked to help. From then on, it was utter chaos. Streamers were _everywhere_- in fact, Sideswipe had convinced Will to distract Ironhide while he put the paper creations all around his favorite chair in the rec room, causing the black mech to curse at the red Lamborghini loudly when he found it later. There was much laughter to be had (for Ironhide and Prowl, frustration), and except for the grumblings of the aforementioned mechs, everyone was having a good time so far.

When four PM finally rolled around, almost everything was ready for the party. Food was placed in serving dishes and arranged on tables, with most of it still in the ovens, refrigerators, and on the grills to be served at a later time. Keller, who had overseen everything (except for the decorating- which meant he probably should have), once again gathered the attention of all who were present as he prepared to say some words.

"My fellow soldiers, civilians and Autobots, we are gathered here today in a day of celebration; for at 12:00 AM tonight a new year shall be ushered in, and hopefully it will be a year of peace. It is this day that we all choose to respect and cherish our diversity, not just between races, but also between our respective nationalities, ethnicities, and beliefs. We may be different in appearance, and while we may be different in what deity (or lack thereof) we believe (or don't believe) in, we are all comrades in arms. More importantly, I hope we see each others as friends, allies, brothers and sisters. It is in this hopes that we may momentarily lay our weapons to rest, and receive a true sense of safety and stability in an ever-changing world." Keller paused for emphasis as he looked over the men and women, mechs and one femme that served NEST so faithfully, making sure that they were all paying attention (which they were). He continued:

"So it is with great pride that I tell you to lay down your guns and have some fun. We are always under the threat of attack from Decepticons, so our weapons are never far from our sides… but for now, let us rejoice; and partake in activities we can all enjoy responsibly. That is all for now. Let the party begin!"

Loud cheers erupted from the crowd, with thunderous applause causing vibrations in the ground that were felt by all present. A vast majority of the vibrations were caused by the claps of the Autobots, making all the tables bounce in time the cutlery and plates clinking together. It was then Glen stood on top of his chair in the DJ booth and yelled,

"Hey y'all! Who wants to bring the house down?!"

He got enthusiastic calls from some of the soldiers, he grinned (Sideswipe, who was watching, whispered to Jolt, "I wish Sunny could have heard that. Red Alert would fritz if he was here!"). "Alrighty then! Let DJ Glen show you how to party!" He started the playlist off with a head-banging favorite… _What is Love_ by Haddaway. Immediately, the head-banging and dancing started in earnest. "Now nobody break no windows! And remember, I take requests!"

Mudflap and Skids, to the amusement of Leo, tried to imitate the head-banging technique, but were utterly failing. "Skids, check this shit out!" Mudflap's neck was making creaking noises from the repeated abuse of his neck plates as he tried to bend them, but he wasn't doing it in a way that worked for him.

"No ya dumbaft! Ya do it like this!" Skids banged his head against his shoulder because of his anticipated chance to show off… which showed that he couldn't do it either. Leo just laughed his ass off at the both of them, which led to his stomach hurting from the continued action.

Sam, who was nearby watching this, glanced up at Bumblebee. "Hey 'Bee, can you do that?"

Bumblebee nodded enthusiastically. His optics conveyed mischief as he head-banged a few times in seamless succession. Then he snapped his fingers and gestured. "_This is how it should be done. This style, style, style, done."_ He used a sound byte from the radio, looking a bit smug at Mudflap's and Skids' dumbfounded expressions.

"Very nice, 'Bee." Mikaela chimed in with a smile (much to Wheelie's obvious jealousy). Indeed, many eyes (and a few optics) were on him as well.

It wasn't often that the Camaro liked to show off, but he wasn't afraid do so to now. _"Bitches love me 'cause they know that I can rock~ bitches love me 'cause they know that I can rhyme~ bitches love me 'cause they know that I can fuck~ bitches love me 'cause they know that I'm on time- throughout the projects!"_ He sang much to the amusement of the soldiers and Ratchet's astonishment.

"That youngling never used to swear like that!"

Miles snickered at the antics of the mechs before him, winking at Ratchet with a growing smile touching the corners of his lips. "You need to lighten up a little more Ratchet! It's just earth music- well, the band is Mindless Self Indulgence… but still. You swear like a sailor anyway, so what does it matter?"

Ratchet glared. "I'll tell you what it matters… you get an extra mega-cycle with me tomorrow in the med bay."

Miles's eyes widened. "Oh crap! Jolt! Save me!" The boy was swept up into the protective sapphire servos of Jolt, who gave Ratchet a pleading look.

"Aw, come on Ratch'! I thought Ironhide was the… what was the human term? Oh yeah, the 'party pooper' of the Autobots! Have some high grade, sit back, relax… have fun." Jolt shifted the boy so that he was now situated on his shoulder. "Besides, we were going to see Froggy and his family tomorrow... You know, the Frog Patrol."

Ratchet groaned. "Whatever…" The mech began to walk off, presumably to speak to one of the mechs present who were either milling along the soldiers or getting some energon.

Jolt snickered. "It's more like he's just grumpy 'cause his bondmate Wheeljack isn't here yet."

"Awww…" Miles couldn't help but say that, and no, it wasn't in a condescending tone. He was too nice for that (and a little afraid that Ratchet would kill him).

"I HEARD THAT!" Ratchet yelled, lime green body twisting to face the pair sharply, optics narrowing. Both Miles and Jolt looked at each other and a silent message was transmitted through their gaze- it was time for them to skedaddle! So Jolt wheeled them out to the opposite side, where they would be safe from the Hatchet in case he decided to chuck a wrench at them.

Meanwhile, at one of the numerous tables littering the base, Will and Epps were having a good time. The two weren't exactly in the mood for dancing, but as they held their drinks in one hand, they watched the others around them begin to relax and indulge in some fun, food, drink and company. Indeed, Fig was hitting on one of the female soldiers- Will believed her first name was Xiomara- and she was a fiery American of Spanish descent who spoke fluent Spanish in conjunction with English. She ignored his attempts to flirt with her and instead asked Glen to play some of Celia Cruz's music later that evening, to Fig's chagrin.

Speaking of flirting, Wheelie was having fun dancing with Mikaela. He was able to stretch his legs, literally, by raising himself a few inches up off his shocks. He had one servo on Mikaela's hip and every once in a while it would drift downwards until she scolded him. Still, she smiled while they danced to the music Glen continued to play.

Sam continued to stare in amazement while Bumblebee got his groove on (just like Keller said they would! XD). The boy moved to the rhythm along with his guardian, but he just _had _to ask: "Bumblebee, where did you learn to dance like that? Did you watch something online? When have you had the time to practice, anyway?!"

Bumblebee paused and seemed to ponder the question; and after his wings perked up, it was clear he had an answer. He summoned Mudflap and Skids, and then he began to sing: _"When I come to the club, step aside-" _Mudflap and Skids popped up then and yelled _"Oh shit!" _Leo, who had recovered from his earlier laughing fit, started into another. This was the best New Year's celebration ever.

Bumblebee wasn't done yet. _"Part the seas, don't be having me in the line _(_"Oh, shit!"_). _V.I.P 'cause you know I gotta shine_ (_"Oh, shit!"_)-" The yellow and black mech continued to sway to the hypnotic rhythms Glen was blasting, before adding his own little touch to the song he was broadcasting. _"I'm sweet little Bumblebee-" _He cut off Bambi and then shifted back to Fergie, and then pointed at Sam with a finger for emphasis on his last, powerful line: _"and me love you long time!"_ The Chevrolet Beat and Trax behind the mech popped up for one last _"oh shit!" _and Sam found he could not resist in joining in Leo's laughing fit.

Clarissa and Judy were taking a break from cooking, as most of the other dishes weren't to be served until a few hours had passed. They were snacking on some of the appetizers, and Sam paled when he saw the wine cooler in his mother's hand. 'She's totally going to embarrass me if she gets drunk,' he whined inwardly as he danced. He needed to make sure he was out of sight when that happened.

Roderich, James, and Ron were involved in a heated debate with other soldiers about who exactly was the best football (soccer) team, based off of statistics and prior performances in the World Cup. The topic eventually moved onto what player was the best in the world currently, and it was hot (not just figuratively- also literally. It was getting humid out)! Despite Ron and James being more attuned to American football, they still could keep up in the conversation. Roderich was one of the more contributing members, mainly because he was a football fanatic. If you listened, you could hear these names tossed out by various people: "Lionel Messi!" "Ronaldinho!" "Christiano Ronaldo!" "Kaka!" "Iker Casillas!" And others were mentioned over some alcoholic beverages and appetizers.

Simmons was chatting with Maggie, Keller, and Ratchet about what sounded like alternative energy sources in which to create not just electricity, but also energon. While the Autobots had plenty, they were going to eventually run low- especially when the other Autobots arrived. Of course, they would be bringing more energon with them, but they still needed to find another way to get them the fuel they required.

Ironhide joined Will and Epps, and Will burst out laughing when the question he predicted would come up was uttered by his black mech friend. "What are those annoying balls of helium? Can I shoot them?" Unfortunately for the Weapons Specialist, Will's answer was no.

Arcee wasn't up for actively partying, since she was still recovering from the loss of her sister bots. She would never completely get over it, but she was improving over time. Right now she was watching over a group of female soldiers, some of which were mothers, show off their pictures of their children that they were eager to see when they would be sent home for a break. Her gentle optics were centered on them and their surroundings, the urge to watch over them causing her to feel protective of them. She may have lost her sister Autobots, but she would not lose more sisters if she could help it. A gun was never held directly in her servos, but it was attached to a holster on her hip. She would fire when ready, if needed, always prepared for anything.

Sideswipe was indulging in some high grade, sipping at it slowly to savor the potent taste of pure, powerful liquid energy. Though it looked as if he was merely relaxing, in reality tons of data was rushing through his head as he sought a new idea for pranks. He knew that when his brother arrived that they would be back to their antics, acting as if they'd never been separated. But in private, he wept. The distance between them put stress on their bond, and all he wanted was his brother to come back so that he could hold him, touch him, and love him. It was no secret that the two were bondmates, but it wasn't something that was discussed openly. He didn't really care that many of his fellow Autobots disapproved of their relationship, but as a result, decided it would be fun for him and his brother to prank them more often in retaliation. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Jolt, and Ratchet were some of those Autobots who didn't mind. Jazz hadn't raised any objections to their union either… but the mech was dead.

Optimus Prime and Prowl were not actually immersed in the festivities, but were arguing hotly several hundred feet away from where Sam was dancing to the beat of the music with Bumblebee. Optimus was having trouble being convinced that what Prowl was saying was true and it showed on his faceplates, clearly something was up.

"Prowl, I don't want to doubt you, but I am having trouble discerning what you say is true. In any case, you look like you could use a cube."

Prowl shook his head, door wings fluttering up and down in quiet distress. "Optimus. Sir, please. I'm only warning you because I know you care about him. And I would hate to see you upset."

Optimus put a reassuring servo on Prowl's shoulder, squeezing lightly in silent support. "Everything will be fine, Prowl. Come on, let's go join the others."

Still somewhat uneasy, Prowl followed the larger mech back to the party. For the next few hours, there was peace amongst the different groups, talking and lots of fun… even for Prowl, who hadn't wanted to get involved in the first place was roped in.

Somehow, he found himself playing one giant game of mech twister. If it weren't for his door wings, he would have won- but Sideswipe was far more flexible surprisingly. Bumblebee didn't win because he had door wings like Prowl that got in the way and Jolt wasn't allowed to play ("you can't use your whips as an extra set of servos, cheater!" "Why not?"). Ratchet and Ironhide wouldn't be caught dead playing, Arcee didn't want to play, Wheelie was too small to play with the larger mechs, Mudflap and Skids kept picking fights ("dude yo bitch aft is in the way!" "Shut the frag up, ya pain in the diode!"), and Optimus was way too big to play comfortably. Miles comforted the blue mech while Prowl and Bumblebee got thrashed at twister by the red Lamborghini.

When it was all said and done, the slightly over-energized Sideswipe smirked and said, "Damn I'm good." This caused the crowd of admirers to laugh, and Sideswipe to preen in all the attention he was getting.

"Dear Primus. He's become his brother after all," Ratchet stated with a horrified expression on his face. Ironhide patted the medic on the back comfortingly. They all knew what a pain in the afterburners Sunstreaker was- more so when he was in one of his 'moods.' The twins had an odd penchant for picking on Ratchet, which confused Ironhide. He had to wonder if they were suicidal or masochistic- perhaps both. Either that or their logic circuits were destroyed the first time Ratchet's favorite wrench collided with their heads.

As it got closer to midnight, Sam found himself becoming nervous. He had been having so much fun, but it was getting close to that time when he and the others were going to exchange gifts. He hadn't told the Autobots (except for Prowl) that he and the others were going to give them presents… he hoped it would a pleasant, unexpected surprise. A lot of thought had gone into them, after all. He would be crushed (emotionally) if they didn't like them.

At 11:30 PM, Sam and the others who had gotten presents for their fellow Autobots had briefly retreated to retrieve the large gifts. They even had to put some of them (such as Optimus's photo album and Mudflap and Skids's books) onto carts in order to be able to take them out with relative ease.

Sam went up to Optimus, who was calmly watching a match of Brawl between Keller, Xiomara, Fig and Epps. Currently, Xiomara was using Falco to beat the crap out of Epps's character, Sonic. Keller was playing as R.O.B. and the robot had Fig's character Bowser in a choke hold, only to break it when Sonic took a strong hit to the head and knocked Bowser out of his grip. The leader chuckled when Epps and Fig both erupted into a long string of swear words when both of them lost. It was now a fight between Keller, and Xiomara. Machine versus avian. Only one would win. And that victory was still up in the air.

"…Optimus?" Sam asked, drawing the mech's attention to the boy, who barely reached the Bot's knee. He bent down, so he could be closer to being at eye level with the Witwicky.

"Yes, what is it Sam?"

Sam's cheeks started to flush a dark pink. "I was wondering… if you could gather the Autobots." His voice trembled slightly with the sudden rush of nerves that swept over him. "We have a tradition that we want to uphold and I really want you guys to join in."

Sam looked utterly adorable to Optimus like that, which was a word he hardly ever used to describe anything. He didn't voice this thought out loud of course (it wasn't the time or place, even though he seriously wanted to). Nodding, the tall mech sent a message via comm link to all of the others around the base to assemble where Sam was leading them. Before the Autobots lay a giant table with a variety of bizarre shaped objects hidden under a cloth, which made even Optimus curious.

Miles, Leo, Will, and Mikaela were already waiting for them. Mikaela appeared to have a normal expression on her face, while Will's face was slightly flushed from the alcohol he had been consuming that evening. It was Leo and Miles who were nervous, like Sam. Miles was paler than usual, almost making him look like an albino as he shifted his weight from foot to foot agitatedly. Leo was blinking much more than usual and kept looking elsewhere, never fully at the Autobots who were now approaching in their bipedal forms.

Bumblebee knew what this was about, as every year Sam saw fit to include him in his family's holiday celebrations, much to his delight. They were going to give them gifts. Bumblebee's wings perked up in anticipation, as he began to eagerly rock from stabilizing servo to stabilizing servo in anticipation, almost bouncing on the soles of his feet.

"I asked you all to come here because we wanted to show our appreciation for everything you've done over the last year and keep doing for us. It's part of our culture to give gifts to those we care about, though this might be a touch late. You're not just the Autobots to us- but also friends and companions and each of us decided to pool our money and get a gift for each of you. We hope you like them." Sam finished with a hand gesturing towards the table with a smile running across his lips.

"I'm sure we'll all like them. Thank you, for being friends and allies to us in turn, it means more to us than you could ever know." Optimus said warmly, feeling his spark light up with happiness at such a gesture from the humans… from Sam. Everyone except for Bumblebee was honestly surprised that their human friends had gone to such lengths beyond the party and it showed in their optics. It was a good surprise, though.

Everyone stepped forward eager to learn what they had been gotten, the first to act was Leo, who asked Mudflap and Skids to close their eyes and hold their servos out. The next thing they realized was that there was a thick yet light (for them, it was heavy for Leo) rectangular object in their servos. When they opened their eyes, they both hollered in delight to see mech-sized versions of some sci fi books. They had heard a lot about this series and had wanted to read it (and that was saying something, they didn't find many texts that interested them), but the books were way too small for them to read. Leo had gone to a specialty store and had to pay extra to get legal copies of the books in that size. They had to remind themselves not to crush Leo in their enthusiasm to thank him.

"Thank you man! For once, something worth reading!" Skids cried. Mudflap nodded eagerly in agreement and began to read at once, bouncing off each other as they tried to walk and read at the same time.

Leo smiled, happy to know they liked their gift. 'I am so good,' he thought smugly, glad his hunch had been right.

Miles then stepped forward, wanting to give Ratchet his gift. "You've heard me speak of this before, but I thought perhaps that you'd like to watch this yourself sometime." Ratchet took it, and with only minor difficulty he was able to take the wrapping off to see that Miles had gotten him the first season of _ER_. Ratchet's eyes brightened; he had been interested in seeing the show that Miles spoke about so much. And now he could view it (without the trouble of trying to find it on the internet.). "Thank you, Miles. It's a great gift."

Miles beamed and Ratchet ruffled his hair, a paternal glint in those bright blue optics as he regarded his young protégé.

It was Mikaela's turn to step up and give her gift. She strode up to Arcee, to the femme's surprise, and hefted a very large paint can into Arcee's arms. Before Arcee could say anything, Mikaela explained, "It's a specially-formulated paint that Ratchet told me would be suitable for you if you wanted to change any part of your paint job temporarily. It'll come off in a month or so." Arcee noticed that it was a deep purplish blue, a tribute to her fallen sisters. Despite the fact that the pain was still burning deep within her spark, she was touched by such a warm gesture from the girl. She could tell it was Mikaela's way of saying that she cared. Those bright blue eyes let Arcee know that Mikaela supported her and would listen to her if the need arose, bonded in a shared understanding of loss.

"Mikaela… Thank you. I can't wait to try it out," The femme told her, features shifting slightly to produce a small smile for the human girl.

Sam decided it was time he gave Bumblebee his gift, since he had been waiting so patiently. He grinned as he presented his special mix CD and "bling" to 'Bee. Bumblebee took the CD first with careful fingers and he scanned the CD eagerly. To his delight, all of the songs he liked the most were on there (titles included _"I'm So Excited" _and _"Bitchin' Camaro"_). He then opened his other present and found a crystal prism, in the shape of a teardrop. Bumblebee knew that when any form of light hit it, it would send a dazzling array of colors all around the interior of his alt mode. He would be the snazziest Camaro out there for sure now. Bumblebee picked Sam up and the two hugged (with Sam in Bumblebee's arms, hugging the bot's chassis as best as he could), prompting an "aww" from Mikaela. "Thank you very much Sam," Bumblebee purred affectionately, like a big robotic kitten. "I love them!!!!"

Sam just laughed. "You're welcome 'Bee. I'm just glad you like them."

"I can't wait to use them," The bot told him excitedly, his voice breaking slightly with his enthusiasm.

Sam then turned to Leo and the two grinned like idiots as they carried a heavy canister over to Sideswipe, who was watching them eagerly. "We have both heard stories about your brother and we thought of something that you might like, so Leo (and Epps) pitched money in so that we could buy you this." Sideswipe picked up the gift and looked it over with a grin. It happened to be an industrial size container of car wax, the best that one could get without breaking the bank. Looking it over, Sideswipe knew this would be something he would use quite often- and if Sunny liked it, hell; he'd use it all the time! The mech gave them a big thumbs up.

"This looks expensive! But thank you both. I think I'll find a very good use for this. That being said, I think I like this holiday!" Sideswipe was a little sad that he didn't have anything to give them in return… but soon he'd find some way to thank them!

Finally, Miles decided to approach Jolt while the others were still talking amongst themselves. The blue Chevy Volt had been watching a moth dance by his optics, attracted by the warm light they gave off, and Jolt was rather entranced. "…Jolt?" The young man asked quietly, waiting for his attention.

Jolt looked down where his good friend was and saw that Miles didn't have just one package in his arms, but _two _to give to the sapphire blue mech. Slightly flustered, the mech asked, "Are those for me?" The Volt dipped in slightly, optics brightening even more at the sight.

Miles nodded. "I wanted to get you something special and these two things caught my eye… so here." As Miles handed over the presents, he felt his cheeks grow hot, and he almost looked away in nervousness. Why was he so anxious? It was just Jolt. Jolt wasn't scary or mean. He was kind, fun loving, environmentally conscious and mischievous on occasion. Plus his alt mode was one sweet ride, better than any other in existence. Why were these feelings bothering him now, of all times?

Jolt took the gifts gently and took them out of the recycled paper bags they were in. The first item that his optics locked onto were the environmentally friendly radio frequency jumper cables, which made his spark delight in the fact that they were _environmentally friendly_. The second thing he saw was the book on forest wildlife, only slightly smaller than the books Mudflap and Skids got, but was made out of 100 percent recycled material. The mech held onto them reverently, appraising every inch of them with a keen delighted optic. He was very satisfied and happy with what he got, which was a lot more than he would ever ask for. How did he find such a great friend? None could compare to Miles in his optics.

He bent down on one knee and lightly placed them on the ground. Then he bent down even more so that his head was only a foot or two above Miles's own mop of dirty blond hair. Servos reached forward, encircling the boy in a slightly warm, metallic embrace. "Thank you so very much Miles," The mech purred, the sound sending a delightful shiver right through Miles, "For doing this for me. It has only been such a short time, but you are very dear to me. Thank you."

The son of Roderich and Clarissa Lancaster felt heat blossom in his cheeks and uncurl in his stomach like butterfly wings, causing a wave of warmth to be released from his core into every part of his body. He leaned into the touch, feeling completely comfortable and safe. "You're welcome Jolt," He said. "I'm really glad you like them."

While Jolt and Miles were having their touching moment, Will had gone up to Ironhide with what the mech guessed to be a metal rectangular shape, almost like a sign (but without the post). When it was unveiled to him, Ironhide read the inscription on the metal tags:

_AUTOBOT WEAPONS SPECIALIST_

**DESIGNATION: ****I R O N H I D E**

_NEST Combat Division_

Partner: MAJOR WILL LENNOX

And under those sentences was one last inscription, one that made Ironhide's Spark clench in pangs of sweet wrenching pain at the words inscribed so lovingly.

"_With You I'll Stand, With You I'll Defend, and With You I'll Fight; Until My End. Forever and Always."_

"Will…" Ironhide was practically speechless. Just how deep did the human's affection for him run? He cared deeply for Will… but he never expected such kind words to be etched onto the metal- frag, he had no idea that he was getting anything at all. Even though it had only been two years, it had felt like so much more than that. And now, Ironhide felt he needed to pay his due. The mech gave him a true smile, to the best of his ability (he was a gruff mech by nature- his facial plates weren't _made _for forming smiles or 'sweet' expressions). "This is amazing. I… will treasure it always, William." The mech fingered the tags, the shine lighting up the darkness faintly as he could see the reflection of his own optics in the smooth metal. It really was amazing, and held a lot of sentimental value. He would keep it forever.

Even though Will knew he was just a bit drunk, his perception of the big black mech was never warped, not one bit. His thoughts were a bit slower than usual and his legs seemed to resist his control, but he just knew that what he did was the best idea he'd ever had. He'd gotten through to the mech. "I'm glad you like it, 'Hide. Really glad." The Major hiccupped slightly at the end, collapsing into the nearest chair, rather tired, but overjoyed beyond any words could express.

Nearly all of the Autobots had dispersed now, some eager to use their new gifts and some wanting to party just a bit longer. It was only Sam and Optimus left now (Prowl decided to give them some privacy and he now hovered near the energon table).

When Sam looked up at the big mech, he felt his heart jumping into his throat, where it thrummed mercilessly. Optimus stood tall and proud and the shining stars in the skies above cast their warm radiance over him, making his chassis glow a deep scarlet and azure. Sam had to remind himself of the word he needed to exercise- control. He had Optimus's huge gift in his arms, and he _did NOT _want to burn the plastic photo album with his hands. He had learned the hard way that if he didn't learn to calm down, the energy that emitted from his hands could burn and set fire to whatever was near his grasp even if it was incombustible. He had been practicing meditation for the past few days and it was starting to make a significant difference. He still wanted to learn more about it from Prowl, though. The tactician was supposed to be the best at it. But he put that thought away for now- he wanted to see Optimus's reaction, longed to see the joy in the mech's optics.

"Optimus… It took me a while to think of something remotely interesting that you would like… well I HOPE you like it… it's not as useful as something like technology you guys use I know, but still, I couldn't help but get this idea in mind. So I reallllly hope that you'll accept this." He coughed, flushed with embarrassment over the fact that he was beginning to ramble. "Just… think of it as a thank you gift. For all you've done, you deserve so much more… but we treasure this sort of thing here… so I hope you'll do the same." Flustered, Sam turned away as Optimus took the gift from him with gentle servos and after some trouble was able to see what Sam was babbling on about.

The mech was stunned to see that his gift was what appeared to be a large rectangular book. The finishing was black and it was smooth to the touch and it had _Precious Memories _embossed in silvery letters in the center of the cover. When he opened it, the first page had a great shot of all of the Autobots together, along with their human allies beneath it. It was a picture that had been taken about a year after Mission City with them at what was then their new base, Diego Garcia. Everyone was smiling cheerily, except for the mechs- Bumblebee couldn't really smile, but his pose showed his happiness. Ratchet had a smirk on his face as he had his favorite wrench in one servo (yes indeed, that evil wrench of perpetual doom), looking pleased with himself (had he just bashed someone with it?). It was thanks to Ratchet (so the wrench had been used) that Ironhide was in the picture, though he didn't look quite happy about it. Optimus hadn't smiled, but rather looked content in the way that his posture was relaxed. Sam, Mikaela, Will, Epps, Maggie, and Glen all flashed their pearly white teeth at the cameraman, which had been Keller. That memory was one that made Optimus smile.

He flipped the page, continuing to look through the array of images, many pictures of not just him, but other Autobots and their human allies. Some amused the mech and some made him nostalgic, thinking of older days when things had been far simpler…

And then there were some that made his Spark sing.

While the photo album was only half filled, the last ten pictures consisted of just Sam and himself. There was a beautiful shot of them right after the battle in Egypt of both of them in the glow of the sunset on the battleship and another of Sam sitting on his shoulder, arms wrapped around a smokestack. There was a picture of Sam with a shit-eating grin as he showed off his tee shirt that he'd gotten as a present from Glen for his last birthday- it had a picture of Optimus in his alt mode on it, and the words _"I'd Hit That As A Truck" _underneath it. When the Prime saw the tee shirt, he had put his face into the palm of his servo, slightly embarrassed and trying to hold back a soft chuckle of laughter. He had heard that joke _wayyyy _too many times.

There were a couple of Sam and Optimus in his holoform- one showed Optimus attempting to teach him how to drive a truck and another depicted Sam wearing Optimus's cowboy hat, trying to imitate the Prime (and failing quite miserably) while Optimus had a facial expression that deviated between confused and surprise, not sure if he should be offended or flattered. That had been an interesting day indeed for the pair.

And finally, there was one that both of them hadn't known about. Sam had blushed furiously when he got the picture from Leo (it figured that his roommate would be a creeper like that), because of what happened to be in it.

The film had picked up the image of Sam, fast asleep in Optimus's cab, snuggling up to Optimus's holoform, who had been driving. Despite the seatbelt's restrictive embrace, Sam had been able to rest his head on Optimus's shoulder, looking peaceful and happy in his state of slumber. Optimus had taken his eyes off the surroundings (this was taken in the college parking lot) and was giving Sam a tender look, one that reminded Optimus of the look he had seen vorns ago. Back when the war had been limited to Cybertron, Optimus had been up till the earliest hours of the orn and on his way to his quarters, saw Inferno gazing at a flushed Red Alert (who was in Inferno's arms) in that same way. The two were in the rec room; and he had deduced that Inferno had managed to coax Red Alert out for some energon and now the two were having a romantic, intimate moment. He had known what that look was then and he easily recognized it on his own features, never minding the fact that it was of him in his holoform. That look held the softest hint of love, a true Spark deep love.

…It took an override command code of the highest caliber in order to stop his servos from unclenching and dropping the precious photo album in utter shock. Did Sam see the look and recognize it for what it was? Who took this picture, anyway? His processor was full of questions and conflicting emotions, but eventually gratitude won out and he turned to address the nervous boy who he had ignored while taking his time to see all of the pictures. "Sam…"

The boy looked up eagerly, his eyes meeting the gaze of the Autobot leader squarely. "Yes?"

"This is the most thoughtful gift I've ever received from anyone… thank you. I'm honored." The mech told him softly, voice husky and deeper than before.

…It sent pleasurable shiver down Sam's spine. Blushing furiously, he looked off to the side, his lips pressed together, the faintest flush of red appearing on the tips of his ears. "I'm glad you like it, Optimus. You can put more pictures of it, too. It can hold up to fifty more."

"I see… we'll have to take many more, then."

Was it just Sam, or did Optimus sound like a sex god just then, one that could make both man and woman and probably every single Cybertronian melt at the mere sound?

It was either that or Sam's hearing was starting to twist and warp his brain, causing him to… think certain things. It wasn't helping him control the energy, as he believed that his Spark was starting to pulse wildly like a trapped butterfly within his chest. He felt drawn to the mech and wanted to go into the large bot's capable arms… but he had to resist.

He had to think about his promise to Prowl, after all. There was still much left to do that night and it couldn't wait.

"Y-yeah… we will." Sam coughed again, and then he said, "I have to go see Prowl now… I didn't get a chance to give him his gift yet."

"Alright… Thank you again." Optimus told him fondly.

Sam nodded, and then took off towards the Autobot hangar. Optimus watched in confusion, thinking, 'Prowl isn't in the hangar… what could Sam possibly have to give him that he couldn't bring out for the rest of us to see?' For a split astrosecond, Optimus's Spark was seized by a cloud of jealousy until he reminded himself that it was silly of him to feel that way… Sam was just running back to get it, because he forgot it before. …Right. 'In any case, I should let Prowl know Sam has something to give him.' Why did he have a strange feeling in his processor that he was forgetting something important?

* * *

Only a half an hour later did Optimus remember Prowl's warning… and swore as he bolted past several surprised soldiers towards the Autobot hangar, hoping to get downstairs in time.

"**Optimus Prime to all Autobots! We have a situation!"**

"**What situation is that?" **Arcee asked, feeling the urge to grab her gun and charge straight into whatever it was.

"**Sam is attempting to resurrect Jazz… using the energy within his body." **Prowl cut in, already racing to where they were keeping Jazz's remains, down below the base.

"**There's no way that would work!" **Skids protested, the thought being too ridiculous to believe. Mudflap nodded in agreement.

It wasn't until a shockwave briefly rocked the base that all of the Autobots jumped into action. Ratchet nearly shorted his vocal capacitor out, swearing as another wave of tremors rippled through the ground beneath them. This was almost as bad as one of Wheeljack's explosions! **"Does that answer your question?"**

"**Ironhide, Arcee, Jolt, Mudflap and Skids stay out here and attend to any wounded. Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe, downstairs NOW!"**

As Optimus made his way down to the basement level, he could only hope that Sam would be alright…

* * *

About a half an hour before, Sam had gone down many steps in the dim light provided by the swinging lanterns far overhead, opting to avoid the main elevator and the commonly used stairwells so that he wasn't caught and questioned... He didn't want to be stopped from doing what he promised to do… to bring Jazz back. If he hurried, he would get there hopefully in time to begin the process. That way, by the time he was found out, he couldn't be interrupted.

Light flickered over Sam's head as he traveled deeper, even the lanterns seemed to get just that little further away, deepening the gloom about him. The stairs he was using happened to be the emergency stairs that were to be used by humans in case of attack or another urgent situation (weather-related phenomena, explosions, etc). He was going deep, below the med bay, to what seemed like a mile beneath the base. Sam had learned that Jazz's body was being kept in a special storage bay, where the air was comfortably maintained at room temperature and the ceiling and walls were reinforced with titanium rods. This room could be used as a safe room, but the bots hadn't laid Jazz to rest yet… finding it too painful to do even two years after the battle in Mission City.

Jetfire's parts were in a box here as well, as the last request the mech had had was to offer his parts to Optimus and the Autobot cause… to show that he had done something worth remembering. They kept his parts because they were still functional, and once the Aerialbots came, if they needed parts, they now had replacement parts. They _had _made a special grave for Jetfire's Spark, though, giving it a full Autobot farewell despite the mech's Decepticon heritage.

Arcee's sister bots, Flareup and Chromia were also down here in this room. Granted, Flareup was in quite a few pieces and Chromia had died from loss of mech fluid and energon… but their bodies were still here.

Steeling himself for what he was about to do, he walked up to Jazz's silent body. Ratchet had repaired his body, not wanting to leave him in pieces, feeling it was only right to give him back a little dignity even in death. Everything had been reconnected, metal plating had been replaced and repainted to match, and everything from wires to joints had been integrated. If it weren't for the deathly silence, Sam would have thought Jazz was just recharging from the look of him. But he wasn't and he had to rectify his mistake.

Sam climbed up onto the mech with only minor difficulties, managing to position himself on top of the mech. His legs straddled Jazz's abdomen, with his hands resting on the small mech's chest plates. Normally, this would probably look very suggestive, if not strange- but Sam didn't care, really. He didn't have feelings for Jazz that were of the romantic nature. But he knew Prowl did and with that thought, he began to dive deep within himself.

After much pondering and confirmation from the information milling about his mind, Sam had figured out that it would take a very, very strong surge of power to bring back a spark from the Matrix. Not only that, but he actually had to try and forge a connection- it was one thing to bring a spark back, but another to make the Spark _aware _that it was back in its body. He had to call to Jazz, coerce him in any way that he needed to make the painful transition from deep within the Matrix back to its home within this metallic shell.

Sam knew it was kind of considered taboo to show one's spark to anyone but a sparkmate and medics (Optimus had done it only out of necessity back in Mission City), but he had to open up Jazz's chest plates in order to get to the Spark chamber nestled protectively inside. His fingers lightly traced the seams of the Saboteur's chest plates and after finding a specific latch, they automatically opened (though slowly) for him. It was thanks to Miles (who learned it from Ratchet) that he learned that bit of knowledge- if he hadn't thought to ask him, he wouldn't have made it this far.

Sam took a deep breath, and searched within himself, looking for that distinct pulse of knowledge and power. It didn't take long to find it, but now he nudged it along carefully, wanting to take some of that sweet-tasting energy and channel it through his fingers, but it didn't want to budge, remaining happily where it was coiled up within him. Sam grew frustrated after repeated attempts to get it to come out peacefully. He had to taunt it to get a rise out of its hiding place, as it only seemed to want to come out when he was upset, aroused, frightened or very angry. It was annoying for him that he couldn't summon it at will- and it was because of his mounting frustration that it was beginning to cooperate. It was like a stubborn child that wanted to be left alone because they didn't get what they wanted; but now that Sam's emotions were becoming a more erratic, it saw its opportunity to seek an exit.

Sam felt his Spark begin to pulse quickly, sending waves from his core and directly up his arms; Sam inwardly panicked because of the sheer intensity of it. It felt like liquid fire burned through his veins, searing his flesh and _it wanted to get out_. Howling in pain, he tried to remember what he set out to do- there was metal beneath him; a _body of metal_, and it was Jazz but not Jazz, he had no spark- _**bring it back**_, his mind reminded him- and he thrust his hands into that lifeless chest and with one thought, he screamed and _let go-_

'_JAZZ!'_ –and his mind and body were soaring in a void of darkness, towards a shining blue light, brilliant and swirling in an inhuman dance of power and he held on for dear life, remembering it wasn't his time to go, Jazz needed to come _back-_

And then he felt a brush of consciousness, a sensation of familiarity as a cloud of _something _came and touched his sightless eyes, and he heard the spark speak as if it were in his mind:

_:What are you doin' here, Sam?:_

Success, he found him- **he found him**, and he trembled in excitement, relief tingling through him for a moment. _:Jazz you gotta come back, you need to come __home_,_ everyone's waiting. Please, please, please don't make me go back empty-handed-:_

_:I'm dead, son. You jus' gotta let the dead lion lay.:_

_:No no no, you don't understand, I made a promise… to Prowl. Prowl's here and I told him you'd come back!: _He pleaded, desperation causing his wavering connection to reinforce himself and tug on his link to his body. He had to bring him back before he was either lost to the Matrix or went back to his own body… _:Please, it's more than I can take. It's my fault you died.:_

A reserved sigh- _:Mah Prowler… he's really there?:_

_:Yes! He's Sparkbroken, but you could fix him, please, hold onto me before I lose sight of the exit to this damned rabbit hole-: _He doubted Jazz caught his reference but all the same, he poured more energy into the bond; the Uplinking causing threads between that spark and his to be caught and tangled, creating a web that bound Jazz to Sam. It was not a bond between lovers, but a bond between friends- now, closer than brothers.

Unbidden, Jazz's thoughts before his death and beyond rushed into Sam's head. He saw the first day of Jazz's life, thousands of memories of day to day life to battle to when he first met Prowl and it **hurt. **Sam realized why Jazz was so reluctant. He had gone through the worst kind of pain when he was ripped in half by Megatron- his Spark had literally been torn asunder into a thousand tiny fragments, which took so long to gather itself up once more in the aftermath. It was almost as if Jazz's spark, his _soul _wasn't complete…

Jazz was getting further away but Sam managed to reach out with tendrils of energy, coaxing him to come closer to him. :_Wait don't go! It'll hurt but I'll be there, and Prowl will too, and all of the others… Prowl will complete you. He's your bondmate isn't he? The other half of your soul. Whatever you're missing… I'll compensate. Please… let go.:_

Jazz's Spark wavered for a long heart-wrenching cycle. He had become accustomed to staying in this swirling brilliance of light, of comfort… where he could see his Creators again, and all of his dead friends and comrades that had fallen before him, where pain didn't reach him- physical pain, anyway. He missed Prowl so badly... How it felt to touch him, how it felt to connect to a mech that understood him better than anyone… who loved him. He missed his friends, he missed Optimus and pranking the Twins and listening to Earth music…

_:He needs you. Just let go… and I'll bring you home.:_

_:Home…: _That familiar longing began to cause pangs of desire within him, to return… but what about his family?

_:Jazz… let go.:_

:_Ah- ah'm scared.: _He felt like a sparkling, admitting that he was scared to come back… but he couldn't help it. When one has been dead for a while, how does it feel to be alive again?

A soft laugh, then the warm presence of Sam's 'arms' went around the Spark, drawing it just a touch closer. _:Don't be… everything will be fine, you'll see… hold onto me…:_

He took one last 'look' around his surroundings, and then, finality. _:…I will.:_

Jazz let go, and they flew back from the Matrix and that dark space… racing through the air, twisting into spirals of light until an explosion of white caused Sam's consciousness to return, causing his body to be propelled off of Jazz and into a wall. With a startled gasp, Jazz's Spark casing sparked within, a ball of blue energy formed, and the energy Sam had taken them home with raced through the mech's systems, setting everything alight. Sensor nodes burned with the excess energy, streaming signals of utter agony across the mech's vision, causing a shriek to tear itself free of his vocal capacitor. The energon that had been within his pump was now making energy, and mech fluid, which had been idly resting, now streamed freely through his wires. He felt his processor race at speeds he couldn't keep up with, as it assessed everything from his Energon levels to what day it was and his _memories_… The last thing he had seen was the wicked smile on Megatron's features as he tore him apart, causing his Spark to explode and pain was _everywhere-_ the mech began to go into a seizure, his processor was convinced that it was still torn in half despite the physical presence of all his body parts. Jazz was lost, so very lost, and he needed the pain to _stop-_

_:JAZZ!!!! Stop! You're fine, you're alive… you're home…: _What sounded like Sam's weak voice echoed through a link, calming presence reaching out to the mech, telling him he was alright. Jazz wearily opened his commlink as his circuit-frying thoughts began to slow, processor catching up with the rest of his body…

**He was alive again**.

Periwinkle blue optics onlined and he caught sight of Sam's prone body, which wasn't moving from his position at the base of the wall. Sam's eyes were open, but they were unfocused, and blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth…

Something was wrong with this picture.

:_Jazz… glad to have you back…: _Was the last thing Jazz heard from his human rescuer as he slumped into unconsciousness, pain catching up to his body and causing him to slip away into the soft, seductive arms of darkness…

_:…Sam? Sam? __**SAM!!!**__:_

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR (FINALLY!)**

* * *

ALTERNATIVE SCENE (Between Sam and Ratchet):

Ratchet checked the data feedback from the scanners and his optics widened. "Sweet Primus…" He swore reverently, "Your heart… it's…"

Sam sat up straighter, feeling the aforementioned organ begin to pump faster. "What, what happened?! Am I alright?"

Ratchet managed to pull himself back together after several klicks. "I… I… Sam, when you touched Optimus Prime…"

"Yes, yes?" Sam was biting his lip, turning it a rich dark red, signifying that it may bleed if Sam added more pressure.

"The energy in your body interacted with Optimus's spark and it caused… something else to be formed." Ratchet looked like he was about to offline any astrosecond now, with the way his optics fluttered from bright blue to dark blue, as if they were about to shut off. Taking a deep intake of air into his vents, he said, "congratulations Sam. You're pregnant." Then he began to laugh like there was no tomorrow.

"WHAT?!" Sam screamed, almost fainting from the news.

Just then, Primus popped out of the other dimension with Ashton Kutcher in his grasp and a whole camera crew in tow. Ashton pointed at Sam, and together, he and Primus screamed, "YOU JUST GOT PUNK'D!"

Sam screeched obscenities and had to be held back by Bumblebee from killing them. "JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! YOU BIG SNEAK! I'LL FREAKIN' KICK YOUR ASS!" Sam magically pulled out a baseball bat and escaped Bumblebee to run after them screaming words that would even make a sailor impressed.

Ron Witwicky looked on in amazement and shook his head. "He must've gotten it from his mother…"

Just then, Judy popped up with a baseball bat in hand. "What did you say, dearest?" She had an evil gleam in her eyes.

"N-nothing, nothing at all…"

"That's what I thought."

**End of alternative scene**

* * *

BONUS Extra-Length Alternative Scene (dedicated to Koluno1986):

Sam laughed lightly, almost nervously in the way he looked briefly at his feet, then at the air. "It was a thank you kiss. Sometimes you give one to show your appreciation." On the outside, he was somewhat fine. On the inside, he was freaking out (to say the least). 'What in the world possessed me to do that? I just totally kissed him! He must think I'm some kind of weirdo! Oh god, oh god. I kissed a giant alien robot faction leader. Somebody shoot me.'

As if Primus himself had heard Sam's thoughts, his wish was granted. Starscream popped out of nowhere with a null ray and screeched, "EAT THIS PUNY HUMAN!" and he shot at Sam, who was still on Optimus's shoulder.

Lucky for Sam, Optimus was able to duck in time, nearly jarring Sam from his position next to the Prime's head. "Sweet Jesus! I wasn't serious!" Sam shrieked, holding onto Optimus as tight as he could.

"Yes, but I am." Primus watched the action from his comfortable couch he'd made out of scrap metal. Sipping a warm keg of energon, the ancient mech laughed wickedly as Starscream got his aft handed to him by Optimus. "Oh… I'm such a bastard. This is almost as fun as spamming YouTube videos with chain comments!"

Unicron, the planet destroyer, heard Primus from way down below in the Pit. Scowling, he said, "Yes, yes you are. Screen time thief!"

"You believe that I am a screen time thief? You must be joking." Primus could hear Unicron and had decided to answer him in the most innocent tone he could muster. It didn't exactly cut it for Unicron, who scoffed.

Sam, who was feeling neglected by everyone (Optimus was still fighting Starscream), waved his arms up and down. "Hey! I'm the main character of this story! Not you two! And quit spamming my YouTube videos!"

Primus just whistled innocently as he began to spam more videos, leaving comments such as "I'm on ur page, spamming ur videos" and "primus was here lolololol."

Sam sighed. "Why was I chosen to bear this pain? Why? WHYYY?"

Starscream moaned from where he had crashed onto the ground. "It's because fangirls love to torture us."

"And Michael Bay." Optimus offered. "He had me killed for the sake of moving the plot along."

"Especially Michael Bay. I went halfway around the world to save your life." Sam told Optimus.

"I know. Thank you." Optimus's holoform appeared, and the two got closer, and closer… heads dipped, lips were about to touch…

Then Starscream, with one last burst of strength, put a "CENSORED" sign in front of the kissing couple. "Damn fan service…"

"But Starscream! I thought you loved fan service…" Megatron popped up with a wicked smile etched onto his features, suggesting he had something rather risqué in mind for the Seeker. Something that probably involved a berth, a couple cubes of high grade energon, and two sparks.

Shrilling in horror and revulsion, Starscream jettisoned off of Earth and flew back to Cybertron, with a cackling Megatron behind him, much to everyone else's amusement.

"I'm sure glad I'm not Starscream," Sam muttered as he watched them leave, Optimus nodding in response.

**End of alternative scene**

* * *

**Anj**: And here's the end! Goodness… That was such a difficult chapter to write. Here's to more author notes for you to read! (Don't you just LOVE them?)

**Songs Used In The Chapter**: What is Love by Haddaway, Bitches by Mindless Self Indulgence (I WANT TO MAKE A VIDEO OF THAT WITH BUMBLEBEE), London Bridge by Fergie, Bumblebee by Bambi.

**Concerning Sparklings**: In my mind, this is how it works. I have seen others portray some of it as I do, the idea that sparklings are made through spark-merging. For me, mechs can carry the sparks, but not the body- there just isn't enough metal for two. Femmes have more kibble, or excessive metal parts (designed for aesthetic purposes), which can be used by sparklings to form their own protoform. Think of it as a spoiler on a car as being one such example of kibble. I **know **the AllSpark is often considered the only thing that creates more Transformers, and without it the race is doomed, but for the sake of this story that was changed. You'll just have to deal with it~ (or don't. I'm not forcing anyone to stay).

**Concerning Interfacing**: I don't do sticky mech sex. Period. I'll read it on occasion if it's well-written, but it's not what I believe in. I will write it as spark-merging and a little bit of energy via data cable, plus foreplay (aka lots of touching, many of it in places we consider private). Mechs and femmes who want to actually sparkbond _will _use their sparks, whereas a casual fling would just use their cables and do a lot of touching in sensitive places till they have their overload. I have a big long rant if you want to read it, but otherwise this is how I'll write it- without any robo 'spikes' or 'valves.' I don't believe in that, despite Michael Bay's joke involving Devastator in ROTF. If you don't like it, then tough luck~ until I change my mind, this is how it goes. Don't get me wrong, I applaud thse who do sticky mech slash, especiall if they do it well. I just don't believe in it.

Onto other business! Primus is such a bastard, isn't he? I think some of my sadistic tendencies come out through him. I try to make him sound wise and all-knowing, but sometimes I let humor and other emotion bleed through. This is more evident in the alternative scenes, though. It's just too easy! That and I love Spastic!Sam, it's such a fun part of his character that I like to bring out every once in a while. Also, I don't spam YouTube videos. That is annoying, hence Sam's anger. I would be upset if Primus spammed my videos, too.

I didn't want it to come to this, but the tender moment between Ironhide and Will just wrote itself, I swear! My original plan was to have Will & Sarah still together, and Ironhide with some other mech (or femme, possibly Chromia. She could be brought back). Now… I have no idea what will happen. What do you think? Should there be Iron/Will in this story?

The "You Just Got Punk'd!" quote comes from the American show Punk'd (alternate spelling: Punked I think), which is hosted by Ashton Kutcher. He basically pulls pranks on celebrities to see their reaction, and then screams 'YOU JUST GOT PUNK'D' at them. I thought it would be amusing.

I included Iker Casillas in the list above because he is a kick ass goalie. Just so you all know. XD

I love sparklings. And I love children. I guess I just love to mother things, whether it happens to be people or animals. Some of this is seeping into my writing, which is why I made Sam have the ability to get pregnant. I hope that answers some of your "WTF AC!?!" questions. XD

**Note**- I know that in other countries, the drinking age is MUCH lower than the legal age in the United States (which is 21), but in this story that age still applies to them since the US is where Sam was born.

That all being said, this is a FRAGGING LONG AFT chapter, with a really long author's note. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Please take the time to review and tell me what you think about all of this development. Reviews are like candy to me- I savor them for long periods of time. If you press the 'review this chapter' button, I'll be happy to start the next chapter sooner than I did before~! **Goes on to work on Diebus Fatalibus** Until next time~!


	7. January Part I

**Angelic**- I'm still here! If anyone's happy to see me… .-.

**Dedication**: Everybody. Special mention to **Nixie Dearing** (wtfsixreviews), and **smounged1989** who kept prodding me about writing and helping me straighten out my thoughts… and everyone who messaged me. Thank you to those who gave me corrections- I appreciate them and I'll have to fix those soon. Thank you for staying me thus far, and new readers are welcome!

**Disclaimer**- I don't own Transformers or HGTV. I do own an imaginary soap opera show… and the amazing thing is in g1 canon, the Autobots watched one! It was on the Prime Target episode in g1.

**Note**: slash later… And there were overwhelming amounts of demands for Iron/Will, which I may incorporate in here… in small bits. I'm not going to make them jump each other and make love like rabbits- I don't work that way. Do expect to see hints, though. We've still got a _long _way to go before this story will be finished. Also, I absolutely do _not _like Jazz x Prowl (too overdone, and boring) and won't be writing any smut for them. The only reason the pairing is in this story is because my friend liked it and I'd hoped she would read this, but she hasn't.

**Note 2**: Psst… If you like **BeeSam**, please head over to **smounged1989**'s fic, "Three way split." It's a lengthy fic that I beta for, and it has IronWill as well as JazzMikaela. Give it a try!

* * *

**His Gaze Denotes Love- Chapter Five: January part ONE**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"_Song lyrics"_

_:Bond link Speech:_

"**Cybertronian/Comm link Speech"**

In the Storage Room below the NEST base, Diego Garcia, on January 1st, 2010, 12:30 AM-

Normal POV

"Sam! Wake up! Sam!" Jazz called out to the other, servo reaching out for the young man who was sprawled on the floor. He found that even that small action made him feel even more exhausted than he already was… Since he had just been brought back online; his spark was still synchronizing with his systems, and the lack of sufficient energon in his fuel tank and his wiring gave him little energy to produce and circulate through his systems. He groaned loudly, and wondered where he was… and how long he had been gone.

Suddenly, he heard thunderous noises coming from somewhere above them, and he forced himself upright, with a servo dipping into a sub-space pocket, pulling out a Cybertronian weapon that was somewhat similar to the human tazer weapon. It was meant to deliver a paralyzing blow via a powerful electrical shock to the neural relays. The bot or con's CPU could try to send messages through the neural relays to make their body move, but the electric waves would temporarily block those messages for anywhere as long as a few breems to a cycle. The weapon itself did not do any lasting damage, but it was not intended to, as it was merely a tool for immobilization. The one who wielded it could flee, kill, or kidnap the one who it affected. Right now, Jazz was too weak to fight back… if the enemy threatened them, he could stop them temporarily.

He attempted to try and see if he could recognize the signals, but his tracking component of his communications system didn't seem to want to cooperate. 'Fraggit… We're in some deep slag right now…' Jazz bit down on his bottom lip, leaving a small dent in the less dense metal. 'I gotta protect Sam.'

The crashing noises got closer, and he could hear voices… deep ones that sounded familiar… ones that he shouldn't fear.

The door crashed open, and the first mech that spilled into the room was one that made Jazz drop his weapon with a sigh of relief. "Optimus!" His servo reached up and gave the other a wave. He wanted to say something hip and trendy, something that he would say normally… but Sam was hurt. "He's hurt."

"Jazz…" Optimus Prime smiled at the other with an expression that denoted both joyful surprise and some numbness (presumably from the shock). "You're actually back… welcome back, my friend." As the other mechs entered, there was a collective gasp of surprise.

"Jazz… you're online!" Sideswipe cried out happily and skated over to his friend on his lowered wheels, and lightly embraced him. Jazz had always been one of his good friends… not only did he have excellent taste in music, but also once in a while he had indulged Sideswipe and Sunstreaker by helping them prank others. Sideswipe looked up to him.

The silvery mech returned the embrace, giving a small squeeze to the other before the red mech drew away. "It's been a while, Sides. You look like you've adjusted to Earth."

"Yes I have, thanks buddy. I can't believe the kid managed to do it…" Sideswipe murmured, and then slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh frag! Sam! Ratchet!" He turned around to look for the medic, but the medic was already at Sam's side. Bumblebee was also there, whining plaintively as Ratchet shoved him away while he worked on the young man. Optimus was there too, trying to assist him, but was turned away also.

It wasn't until Jazz heard a gasp of disbelief that he realized that there was someone else in the room… and when he glanced upward, he saw the form of a blessedly familiar mech… Blue optics widened in shock, and door wings were frozen in an upright position as he gripped the door frame with trembling fingers. "…Jazz?"

"_Prowl…_ You're here!" Jazz felt a grin split his face at seeing his bondmate alive and well. He jumped off the table in excitement, but wasn't quite used to being online yet- his systems were still synchronizing- so when he landed on the floor, his knee joints buckled and he pitched forward onto the floor. He instinctively brought his servos out to help break the landing, but he was saved from having to do so when Prowl managed to grab him under his armpits and stopped him from falling flat on his facial plates. Jazz sighed in relief upon being caught, and was about to thank Prowl when he was pulled into a black and white chassis. He was delighted to be so close to that thrumming spark once again (had it really been well over a few vorns since he'd seen him last?), but the other was shaking…

"Prowler? Are you okay?" Jazz asked, concern lacing his tone. Despite the fact that he wore a visor, anyone could tell he was worried by the tone he was using in his voice. His arms wound around his bondmate and he nuzzled a headlight, hoping to make him feel better.

"I'm just glad to see you came back to me…" Prowl murmured thickly, trying to hold back the tide of emotions within his body. His head was resting on Jazz's shoulder, and his door wings were drooping in exhaustion. Clearly, his depression had caught up with him and was being released in that blissful moment, knowing his love was really back.

And it was all thanks to Sam. The boy was now being whisked off to the medical bay for further examination, and though he was in a stable condition, Ratchet didn't want to take any chances. Sam had kept his promise to Prowl, and now they were both indebted to him greatly.

"It's good ta be back, especially here in your arms." Jazz smiled even though he knew Prowl couldn't see it (his face was buried in Prowl's chest) and tenderly stroked the Datsun's spinal plating. Prowl shivered, and Jazz grinned on the inside, knowing he had brushed a soft spot.

"Don't start something you can't finish right now," Prowl whispered into Jazz's audio receptor, voice strained slightly. Oh, how he'd love to have a private moment with his bondmate right then! Unfortunately, they had a crowd of departing mechs and they knew they couldn't stay there. The other Autobots needed to know about Sam's condition and Jazz's rebirth. In that statement, there was already a disaster waiting to happen; and it only hit every Autobot at once when they thought about it later… But it affected Bumblebee and Optimus the most in that they were the closest Cybertronians to Sam.

_What if the Decepticons found out Sam brought back Jazz?_

That question was tormenting Optimus as he waited outside the medical bay for Ratchet's update on Sam. He paced restlessly back and forth, trying to find something to occupy his time besides brooding, but it proved futile. It was in his nature to worry about the safety of all, and he couldn't help dwelling on the thoughts he knew he would have to announce to others later. The matter of the fact was that Sam had managed to bring another Cybertronian back to life without the aid of another being or tool- he had been able to cross the bridges between life and death, this dimension and the Matrix and not lose himself in it- and brought Jazz back from deactivation. This was something not achieved by any human or Cybertronian, and the knowledge of that fact was dangerous. Oh, it wasn't dangerous just physically (the blood was hard to ignore, but they didn't know if that had come from his impact with the wall or if it was from the act of resurrection itself), but there was the sinking feeling of knowing the Decepticons could very well take advantage of that and force Sam to reactivate some of Megatron's dead soldiers. Who knew what it would do to him mentally?

Optimus just couldn't speak aloud or into a comm link with the other Autobots about his worry… He was the leader, and he had to show some emotional restraint. The extent of his distress that was depicted openly was his pacing, and perhaps the occasional frown, but all of the rest was hidden behind his blue optics and his chest plates. There was a great ache in his spark, as a small bit of horror had pierced him directly when he had first cast his optics on the motionless boy. Sure, he had been quite happy to see Jazz back once more (he had never forgiven himself for not making it in time to distract Megatron), but seeing Sam lying there like a broken flesh doll was like getting a kick to the codpiece for no slagging reason; it was something he hadn't wanted to happen. His spark hurt from the love and worry he kept silent.

While Optimus paced back and forth outside the med bay doors, Bumblebee was playing soft music as he anxiously waited for news on his charge's status. The bright yellow and black Autobot was worried sick to his tanks about Sam (Bumblebee privately admitted to Mikaela that he could never stand to see the sight of human blood, _especially _Sam's blood), but managed to keep somewhat calm. Mikaela was sitting on his knee; patting him reassuringly, though anyone could tell she was worried by the way she was biting her lower lip until it was a reddish plum hue. Seated next to the bot were Judy and Ron, both of which looked uneasy, but somewhat hopeful.

Miles and Leo weren't there, but they truly wanted to be. Unfortunately, they were coerced into helping Simmons, Epps, and other soldiers clean up the mess they had made at the party. Among them were Clarissa and Roderich Lancaster, who had given Judy and Ron their prayers before setting off with James Banes to assist them. Will had _attempted _to help them, but in his slightly inebriated state, he was not helpful. Ironhide quickly set him down in the med bay, trusting Bumblebee to keep an optic on the major for him until he got back from grunt work (along with Sideswipe, Mudflap, Skids, Arcee, and Jolt).

Finally, some hours into the early morning later, Ratchet came out of his med bay. Judy and Ron immediately ran forward to meet the mech with Judy demanding to know how Sam was, and Ron looking like he wanted to yell but didn't, knowing that Ratchet didn't need any extra stress.

"Well, Ratchet? How is he?" Bumblebee asked while his door wings rose upward slightly, as he was hoping for good news. Mikaela had almost fallen asleep on his leg, but now her full attention was back and centered on the medic.

…Will hiccupped as he waited, though he didn't look all there. He looked like he was fighting to stay awake.

Ratchet rubbed the bridge of his nasal plates (a human gesture he'd picked up from interacting with them so often) and let out a puff of air out of his vents. "He will be alright. He has some severe swelling from where he collided with the wall, but thankfully the bleeding was directed outward instead of inward. He'll have moderate to severe pain from that for the next few days, or until the swelling goes down and the wound heals. He took the brunt of the force in his back (which is why his head wound isn't worse) and he's very lucky he didn't shatter his spine… There shouldn't be too much lasting damage unless something didn't register in my scans. I estimate that he might have dizzy spells anywhere from a week to two weeks, and may need assistance in walking. Other than that, he will recover. Primus must be watching over that boy." He shook his head, briefly glanced upward reverently, and then looked back into the relieved faces of Judy, Ron, and Mikaela.

"You said he'll have pain. Is there something you can give him for that?" Judy asked quietly. She was happy to know that Sam would ultimately be alright, but her motherly instincts told her she still had to make sure her baby wouldn't suffer any unnecessary pain. She clasped Ron's hand even harder, and could feel its warmth reassure her as he gave her a small smile.

She felt some of her muscles relax from where she had been standing in a stiff position, and then she started to feel better. Ron always knew how to soothe her… And she loved him for it.

"Of course there is! However, I doubt he would prefer having an intravenous drip stuck into his arm for when he is permitted to leave, so one of the on-base human medics has prescribed some painkillers for him. They should be satisfactory for his needs. Until I deem him fit to leave, I have some painkillers that I will inject into his arm at safe intervals." Ratchet assured them, and after a few minutes of talking, the humans in the audience were allowed to visit Sam… except for Will, who'd fallen asleep, and the two Autobots, who looked less than happy at having to wait.

Very quietly, and it was emphasized _quietly_, Judy, Ron, and Mikaela were allowed to follow Ratchet to a section of the med bay designed especially to treat human patients. Sam was curled up on a clean bed with soft white sheets, which made the boy's pink flesh and dark hair stand out starkly against the bedding. Immediately, Judy was at her son's side, and one of her hands slid out to tenderly grasp one of Sam's hands. Ron stood behind her, and had one arm around his wife as he watched Sam's chest rise and fall evenly. Despite the heavily bandaged bump on the back of Sam's head, and the colorful bruises spread out across Sam's back, he did not look troubled. His expression was a peaceful one; with his brows relaxed, mouth slackened into a faint smile, and a rose-pink rose color painted his cheeks with a hue that looked healthier than alabaster-colored cheeks (which he had earlier).

Ratchet watched over Sam and his loved ones carefully, but he couldn't help but notice that Mikaela was not directly at Sam's bedside, like he thought she would be. He was standing about twenty feet away from the Witwickys, letting them have some time with Sam, but still Mikaela remained standing next to his stabilizing servo. He looked down at her quizzically. "I am sorry to intrude, but I am curious. Why aren't you over with Sam?"

Mikaela glanced up at him, startled at first, but then she answered him about a minute later. "I don't want to interrupt Judy and Ron. They're a family first and foremost, and I don't want to cut in on that." She said that all in a solemn tone.

"Surely Sam considers you part of his family, with your status?" Ratchet was still a bit confused. As Sam's mate or "girlfriend," Mikaela would have the privilege of being considered a member of the family, but either Mikaela was being too respectful or something had happened to jeopardize that... And he intended to know what was going on.

"Sam and I broke up. We are no longer dating, Ratchet. We split up at the beginning of last month… We're just friends now." Mikaela sighed deeply, and looked back at the prone boy in the bed forlornly. Ratchet was surveying her with keen optics, and then gently asked,

"But you do not wish it was that way?"

Mikaela shook her head, and her ebony locks swayed slightly. "We grew apart Ratchet. He no longer sees me as his girlfriend, but more like a sister or just a close friend… no matter how much I care for him, his feelings for me have faded." Her icy blue eyes continued to watch that chest rise and fall, and she was silent for a minute before continuing. "…Despite the fact that my feelings for him have not gone away, I am happy that we can still remain good friends. It will take time for me to get over him, and it is hard knowing he already has, but…" She glanced back up at Ratchet, who understood her all too well.

"You want to see him happy," he murmured gently.

Mikaela nodded. "Of course I do. Anyone would want that for the people they care about. I just hope he remembers that I still care, even when he finds someone else to love."

Ratchet patted her back with one finger as best as he could to calm her. "I'm sure he does, but you could always tell him yourself. He's awake, you know." His scans had already told him that Sam had regained consciousness about five astroseconds ago, and would soon open his eyes. "Go see him."

Mikaela hesitated for a few seconds, looking back and forth between the boy and the medic in front of her before making up her mind. "I'll talk to you later, Ratchet." She murmured, and then she strode over to the boy's bedside, where his smiling parents greeted her.

"Look, he's awake! Oh Sammy, we were so worried! Next time tell us when you're going to do something stupid, or you're grounded for life young man!" Judy poked Sam in the face, to which he sleepily murmured something back. "Yes, you did do a nice thing for Prowl, we know, we saw him when they came up the stairs. That stiff bot looked so happy I almost cried! The love in his eyes- er, optics as they call them- was so beautiful! Just like something straight out of _Sunset Engagement_!" Judy had a dreamy expression her face as she tenderly rubbed the top of his palm with her thumb. Even in her thoughts, she was ever aware of Sam's injuries and treated him with the utmost gentleness.

Ron put his face in his palms and sighed, while Sam laughed a little and started talking to Mikaela. "Judy, I thought you promised not to watch anymore soap operas."

"I was drunk. I told you, don't ask me to make promises when I'm drunk… besides, _Sunset Engagement_ is a masterpiece!" Judy exclaimed, gesturing wildly with one hand while the other continued to stroke Sam's hand.

"A masterpiece my _ass_." Ron shot back, trying not to snort at what she'd just said. He gave his son a look of glee at Sam, whose expression clearly mirrored that of his own. They both held the same opinion on the melodramatic television show.

"There you go again, always complaining… I don't complain when you're constantly watching sports and HGTV…"

Ratchet tuned them out as he pondered the interesting bit of news. No, not that Judy apparently watched some strange type of television show, but that Sam and Mikaela were not an item anymore… Apparently, they'd been split up for about a month or so now. The cogs in his head turned (literally and figuratively), and he was sure this bit of news (besides the news that Sam had woken up) would cheer up a certain Prime quite a bit… not that the leader would ever admit it, of course.

It was about time he kicked the family out of the med bay, anyway. Will had been asleep for a while now, and after a quick scan of his vitals, Ratchet confirmed that he was not in any danger. He seemed to be what humans called a "light weight" and the alcohol (coupled with previous exhaustion) had made him sleepy. He'd either have to comm Ironhide or Epps to get someone down here to take him to his quarters… but first, he needed to get rid of the trio surrounding Sam.

Ratchet put on his Faceplates of Doom™ and loomed threateningly over the group of humans below him. "Time's up, Judy. I'm sure Sam needs his pain medication and I know there are others who would like to see him. Please go into the waiting area."

"Oh HELL no Ratchet! He's my baby boy and I'm not leaving!" Judy stamped her foot down on the hard concrete, not happy in the slightest to see that she had to leave Sam so soon… even though in reality, they actually had been with him at least half an hour. There had been stretches of silence before Ratchet's conversation with Mikaela and after, and he knew by the grimace on Sam's face that he was starting to feel some pain from his head injury and his back. If Ratchet's glare didn't get rid of them, Sam himself would probably take charge… or perhaps someone else would.

Sam's groan brought everyone's attention back to him. Eyelids fluttered, and he said quietly, "c'mon -Mom… You know I love you, Dad, and Mikaela, but he has a point. Besides, I thought the sight of needles made you sick."

Judy opened her mouth to vehemently deny what he had just told everyone, but she then went white when she saw the larger-than-necessary needle being brandished all too cheerfully by Ratchet. After a brief minute, she gave up the battle of wills and gave Ratchet a look that illustrated what she'd like to do with him if he hurt her son. It would most likely involve her cherished nail-studded bat that she kept in the closet and smacking a broken down lawn chair… into the medic's shins. "You take good care of my baby, Ratchet. I'll be back soon." She gave Sam a kiss on the cheek, and Ron gave his son a soft clap to the shoulder before he shepherded his shaking wife out the door.

Sam snickered a bit in his head as he watched her leave. He truly loved his parents, and though they tended to be overbearing, he knew they loved him deeply. He couldn't blame them- a lot of things had happened to him after all- but he just found a bit of amusement in his mother's needle phobia. She had absolutely no problems with cutting up animal organs; or even skinning and gutting an animal, but if she so much as even looked at a needle, she felt ill. Though he was starting to feel ill himself… The pain in his back and his head was starting to spread through his body, and he had to resist the urge to groan or make some sort of noise. Not to mention the fact that the needle Ratchet had looked much larger than necessary…

Mikaela patted his shoulder reassuringly, if not a bit awkwardly and gradually got to her feet. "…Sam, get better soon, alright? If you ever need to talk or even someone to complain to, I'll be here for you. Okay?"

Sam turned his head to look at her, feeling his neck make soft crackling noises from the effort. 'Man I'm stiff.' "…Yeah, I know. Thanks 'Kaela. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I'll see you soon," she promised, and soon she was gone as well.

There was some silence as Ratchet bustled about his med bay, straightening this or that or putting things in their proper areas. As he prepared the human-sized syringe, Ratchet decided he needed to have a short little discussion with his patient before he could usher in the awaiting Autobots. With his back to Sam, he began, "you know Samuel… You truly have some faithful friends and family."

Sam flinched at that, already guessing what was coming. Just by the way Ratchet said his first name had him feeling like he was going to get the scolding of his lifetime within the next five minutes. "…Yeah, I know. They've all been very good to me."

"We all care about you very much Sam. For such a small organic being as yourself, you've become irreplaceable to all of us, especially to Optimus and Bumblebee. They are willing to give up their lives for you." Ratchet sighed slightly, trying not to show his anger. He knew that stress was the last thing Sam needed now, since it would inhibit his recovery, but it was hard for him not to start yelling… He remembered doing that to the twins (both sets- ugh, the sheer horror of more idiots), and especially to his bondmate, who was seemed to have the unfortunate hobby of getting caught in explosions from accidents in his lab. Yelling hid how distraught he truly was, but at the same time, it was his way of showing that he cared. The mech was sure by now that Sam knew this as well. "…Even Ironhide has admitted to becoming fond of you and a select few others of your species. This is monumental, since that slagger would have rather had nothing to do with humans when we first arrived here on this planet."

"…I know, Ratchet." Sam's voice was quiet, and he looked smaller in that bed than he had before… almost like a child that had gotten nearly buried in a small mountain of snow. Sam had curled up as best as his back would allow within the white sheets, but still he watched the medic, who whirled around to face him. There was an unreadable expression on his face that persisted even after he marched over there and injected him with a dose of morphine. Even as Sam's pain began to fade, his attention on Ratchet did not. This was a good thing, since Ratchet looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"I don't think you truly understand, Samuel. What you did was both foolish and extremely hazardous to your health! You deliberately disregarded my warnings against excessive use of the power you have, and while it is an astronomical amount that almost broke my scanners, it is not something to be trifled with!" If Ratchet had hair, he probably would have pulled it out by now. He was pacing back and forth, trying to illustrate just how frustrated he was without resorting to his favorite stress-relieving past time (wrench throwing). Several incoherent clicks and screeches of his vocal capacitor made Sam wonder if he was trying not to scream, and after a minute, Ratchet returned to a calmer state. "Look Samuel, I do not expect you to understand, but I ask that you at least try to. You brought Jazz back to _life_, without the aid of a tool of extraordinary power like the Matrix of Leadership. You did something no Cybertronian could do… and this will turn you into a bigger target than you already are."

Ratchet let out another large puff of heated air out of his vents and spoke once more. "I know you felt responsible for Jazz's death. I felt the same way since I could not repair him beyond fixing his body and making it presentable. Megatron had ripped him apart and his spark was extinguished in mere astroseconds… but you, you brought him back without losing yourself. That should not be possible… you're still here, albeit with injuries, but…" He shook his head and kept his furious glare upon Sam's face. "Don't ever do that again. Not only is it a pain in my aft to scramble around and fix you (especially since you're a human), but you literally scared the spark out of me and everyone else here. We are all very happy to have Jazz back, but you cannot risk yourself like that again. Do you understand now?"

Sam was quiet, as he listened to the whole lecture. He had wanted to protest at first, but as Ratchet continued to talk, his words died away. He could understand where the medic was coming from, and why he was so worried. He didn't doubt that he might get more of the same lecture from others. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now that we're on the same level… there are a few Autobots that would like to see you, Sam. Do not think that I'm not still angry with you, though." Ratchet's optics flashed harshly as he turned away from the boy. He had just contacted Optimus and Bumblebee, and sure enough, in a few seconds the two Autobots eagerly stepped inside.

"SAM!" Both of them shouted the Witwicky's name, and he winced at the loud volume. Ratchet immediately brandished his wrench, waving it threateningly close to their facial plates.

"Shut the frag up, you dithering diodes! Don't blow out his ear drums with your noise." He chastised, giving them the 'evil optic' as they both halted and nodded frantically. "If you can't be quiet, I won't have you in my med bay. Hmph." He stalked off to his office, grumbling about getting some high-grade.

Bumblebee was the first to speak. "Sam…" The yellow and black scout looked very uncomfortable from where he was standing by Sam's bed. His door wings were twitching, and he appeared to be restraining himself from scooping up Sam right there. On Sam's other side, Optimus stood, also looking visibly distressed. If the metal nicks in his metal plating weren't enough, the worried frown on his facial plates also made it look like he had aged overnight. Sam's heart started to beat much faster from having the attention of the two most important Cybertronians in his life centered on him.

"Um… hey?" Sam braced himself for another bit of awkwardness and a lecture that was sure to come his way, but all he got was a sigh from Optimus and more reserved silence. "…I get it. The silent treatment. Thanks." He knew he was being a bit of a brat, but he couldn't help it… He couldn't stand the irritating quiet. "You can come closer if you want to…"

Ultimately, after about five more minutes of Sam wanting to rip his hair out from the waiting, Bumblebee caved into the pout on Sam's face. He carefully sat himself down on the concrete floor, offered a finger to Sam, and the boy was only too happy to hug it. After some contented purring, Bumblebee began to speak to Sam in his lovely British accented voice. "We are very worried about you, Sam. You scared us in a way I thought we would not have to deal with again."

The Witwicky looked down at his lap with guilt. "…I'm sorry. I know I worried everyone and it's my fault I'm in this condition, but I had to do it. Jazz deserved to have his life back, and I'm not sorry for what I did." His determined glare showed just how stubborn he was, but sometimes he forgot that the Autobots were also very stubborn… which is about to be presented for your viewing entertainment.

"Samuel, we are very glad to have Jazz back, but you could have taken the liberty to properly _inform _someone of what you were planning to do. That was reckless of you, to say the least… Besides… _how _did you do that?" Optimus sounded baffled. "We heard that you used the energy from the AllSpark shard, but… how could you have rescued an extinguished spark from the Matrix?"

Sam's vision was now occupied by the two mechs, as well as Ratchet, who had stuck his head out of his office door at the western end of the med bay in order to hear it as well. 'I might as well tell them now… since I did not before.' He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke to his audience. "You're totally gonna flip over this, but it was because of Primus-" there was a collective gasp at that name, and he glared until they stopped making distracting noises- "that I was able to learn how to do that… he told me to look for the information I learned from touching the shard way back at the beginning of the semester. He has been speaking to me in my dreams for about a month now. Every time he does, he usually informs me of changes that I've been going through… though I have to say, you've got a deity with a strange sense of humor."

Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Bumblebee all shared a look- one that said they weren't quite sure what to think- but turned to Sam with apprehension, curiosity, and pure disbelief. "Sam," Optimus courteously started, "…are you sure this was the voice of Primus that was reaching your ears?"

If Judy were there, she'd twitch at the twisted expression on Sam's face. His eyes were narrowed, his lips pursed, and nostrils slightly flared. If he managed to get wrinkles (due to his altered biological makeup), he'd have the deepest kind if he managed to keep that up… and it could have someone screaming to stick him with a little bit of Botox and dermal filler. It was heinous, and immediately Optimus as well as Bumblebee felt abashed. Ratchet was immune to such facial expressions.

"I do know what I'm talking about, you guys. I wouldn't make this kind of crap up." Sam looked offended, hurt, as well as peeved at the same time. He crossed his arms. "Say what you want, but I'm telling the truth. In case you've forgotten, I had the original Transformers talk to me too, so it can't be that farfetched to believe, can it?"

There was a little bit more silence before Bumblebee said sheepishly, "he _does _have a point…"

Sam grinned and clapped his hands together stiffly. "Thank you! At least someone believes me."

However, when he made that statement, Bumblebee slumped a little and whined as he turned away. His back was hunched, his shoulders trembling, and his door wings were drooping. Sam's face fell, and he looked at the other mechs, who appeared to be struggling a bit with themselves not to say anything. Stricken, Sam grew disheartened and hurt from the lack of reply. "You… _do _believe me, right?"

Optimus looked at him with a strange expression on his face. It looked like he was torn between his shame for making Sam upset, his doubts about the whole thing, and his desire to make Sam happy. But skepticism won, and he suddenly performed a very human-like gesture: he shrugged. "I am sorry Sam, but this is a little too much for me to take in right now. It is stressing my processor more than I'd like… and I hate to say this, but…"

"You may have hit your head too hard." Ratchet spoke up crisply, and scanned Sam's form, which was starting to show elevated vital signs induced by the sudden extra stress. "You must understand… No one has heard the voice of Primus for thousands of vorns. Primus is… much more sacred than even the original Transformers. Optimus has never heard his voice. It is… unthinkable. Your injuries, coupled with the stress of everything occurring in the past few weeks could all just be affecting your mind."

There were more words, but every one that was uttered cast cold stones into the pit of Sam's belly. His heart felt as if someone were squeezing it with icy fingers, slowly choking him. He couldn't bear to listen to all of it, but the sentences crept into his ears anyway. It was one instance he truly wished words went through his ear and came out the other… then he wouldn't be able to truly process it. After a few more minutes of it, he finally spoke up.

"Shut up."

All three mechs looked at him in shock, and Ratchet bristled. "Excuse me?"

Sam lifted his gaze from where it had been poised to look at his lap and stared the medic straight in the optics. "I said, _shut up_. If this is how you're going to treat me, then leave me alone. I don't want to hear anymore from you about my 'fragile state of mind' and my 'hallucinations.'"

"But Sam-" Optimus had started, only to have Sam give him the most conflicted look he'd ever seen. It reeked of anger and depression, and it cut him deeply.

"You know what? Just go!" He hated to yell at Optimus, but he didn't think he could stand being in the same room with them at the moment… not when they thought he was delusional for thinking he could communicate with their deity. So what if he was human? He never thought he was anything special. He had never asked for anything besides a halfway decent car and the girl. He got both, but things turned out infuriatingly complicated… and he honestly didn't want to deal with it right now. Not while he was still hurt and stressed out from dealing with all the events that had happened so recently. He wanted to be alone.

The mechs hesitated, and after another harsh yell, they finally left him on his own. He knew Ratchet would be back soon (considering he was the medic and would be checking on him, along with whoever he had to consult on human injuries), but at least he had this time to himself. Later on he would realize how childish he was acting, and desire to apologize, but right now, he wanted nothing more than to be selfish. Groaning loudly, he slowly shifted to his side and made himself comfortable. Hopefully he'd feel better after some rest…

* * *

Space was beautiful, yet so ugly at the same time. One could gaze at the stars in the inky darkness around them for hours, but even the twinkling orbs got boring at times… and it wasn't often that they stopped at planets unless it was to purge the area of Decepticons, or barter for metal and energy. The layout of the Autobot's starship (the _Ark_) was etched into his processor from having traversed its corridors and explored its rooms from top to bottom, east to west. Blaster knew this place… but where they were going was sure to be a learning experience.

It had been many vorns since Blaster and the rest of the crew aboard the _Ark _had heard from Optimus Prime. In fact, they had not seen him since the AllSpark was launched away from Cybertron… and never knew if he and the select few Autobots he'd been with were still alive. It had done a number on their morale, but still they fought on, hoping to find their leader. Those had been dark rotations… and they began to learn new things about themselves each orn… and about their enemies as well.

The red, yellow, and gray mech remembered when he'd had a particularly rough fight with Soundwave and his minions several vorns earlier. He had several Autobots with him at the time (not including his cassettes' which were in his chest), and while the other Autobots distracted the Decepticons, Blaster went directly for his mortal enemy. They unleashed their respective cassettes, and they fought with each other as their creators began their long awaited, supersonic battle. The battle (including other Autobots and Decepticons) had been full of pain, laser fire, and energon splattering on the ground here and there. It wasn't until Blaster had frozen up in battle he'd realized something completely out of the ordinary.

Between all the blows, Soundwave had been pulsing coded messages within each sonic blast he had sent Blaster's way. He had been picking up on the numbers of the frequencies thrown his way, and if he put them in a certain order of when each was received… it spelled out the coordinates for a specific point in a galaxy quite far from the _Ark's _current location. The last one he had sent was like a blow to the woofer; a sign to stop thinking. Or a push to get back to fighting. Soundwave looked impatient.

"What're you playing at, Soundwave? Tryin' to distract me so your metal cat can sneak attack me from behind or something?" He called, and pulsed a frequency that could induce horrible audio aches if heard in the direction it was sent. If Ravage was there, the pesky spy would clear out in no time!

"Statement: Decepticons mobilizing towards coordinates transmitted. Suggestion: follow." The Decepticon was impassive as ever, with only a twitch in the metal panels (they looked like a mockery of wings) that shifted and fanned behind his back. No one could tell what he was thinking, or even showing on his face. The crimson visor shielded the optics of the Decepticon Communications Officer, and the mask-like faceplate hid the facial features that Blaster had seen many times before… back when they'd been interfacing the spark out of each other. Of course, the war and conflicting viewpoints of the couple had split them apart… not to mention the acts that each mech had committed. Neither could forgive each other, but there was something deep within Blaster that refused to let go of the mech and what they had once shared. He was too stubborn like that…

…Stubborn enough to question Soundwave, anyway. "Oh? Give me one good, sweet reason to keep my audios open for you. If the information ya got is hot to trot, perhaps I'll get the others to follow your lot." He reassured himself that he didn't follow just because he wanted to talk to him… he liked kicking Decepticon aft and Prime could be somewhere over in that direction. Keeping positive was his only option at this point; as the battle was winding down and he could see some of the enemies retreating already. If this information turned out to be as valuable as he hoped it was, then they could be closer to an end to the war instead of some stalemate…

"Megatron's signature is left behind on certain planets. Scans indicate strong concentration is nearby what is thought to be a primitive planet in that galaxy. Possibility of Optimus Prime and Autobots traveling to same destination; eighty-eight percent," Soundwave remarked coolly, and sent a blow in the direction of Blaster's left arm.

Blaster raised an optic ridge even as he dodged it, feeling the close brush with those powerful waves rattle the circuitry in his arm. He hissed a little and sent a bolt of laser fire in the mech's direction. "It seems you're set on this… ya do know it'll take vorns to get there, right?"  
"I am aware of that. Best course of action: inform Autobots and leave."  
"I don't trust you, but anything's worth finding Prime, even if I have to rely on your 'help,' which seems strangely traitorous and reminiscent of a certain Seeker." Blaster jabbed back, and after a moment of uninterrupted silence, they realized that both factions had soldiers retreating rather quickly. Blaster heard the comm messages from Prowl demanding that he return immediately, and sighing, the Autobot Communications Specialist called for his cassettes to return. As he gazed at the Decepticon and his retreating back, he couldn't help but wonder what motives the mech had hidden...

Even today, he still didn't know what Soundwave had been plotting, but he was right… Optimus Prime and the small fleet of mechs that had gone with him had left traces of their passing; small messages coded and left in trustworthy servos that they picked up on their journey. It certainly gave them hope that he and the other numerous Autobots (that got separated from the main crew on the _Ark_) were still alive…

And now, they were so close that Blaster could make the trip to Earth in just a few joors! Prowl, however, had decided to something completely unexpected: he wanted to scout the small planet and find the Autobots first. Some mechs suggested that it had to do with Jazz being one of the mechs to travel with Optimus Prime to Earth, and others (the grumpier ones such as Brawn and Gears) based it off of Prowl thinking they weren't capable enough of scouting the Earth.

Blaster knew better.

Prowl took his responsibilities very seriously, and while Jazz was one of his main reasons to return, he felt his position deemed that he needed to be at Optimus's side. They had gotten Optimus's message barely more than fifty-six orns (about two human years) before. The newest one was sent only a few orns before and Prowl had left seven orns ago today. According to his research on the fascinating network called the Internet, Blaster found out that (due to the humans they stayed with) one Cybertronian day (an orn) was equal to thirteen Earth rotations. What seemed like a short time to the Autobots was so much longer in comparison for the humans… Lots of things were different for the humans, such as cultures, music, language, and history… but he found it fascinating. He was most interested in their music (since it linked to their air waves and from there, all aspects of human communication that he needed to learn about), while Jazz had concentrated on more of the Earth as a whole.

Blaster decided it was high time they got their fragging afts down there. Besides, Prowl had not sent back any distress signals, and Blaster had easily tapped into the satellite feeds (remotely, with no tentacles attached) to boost his broadcasting capability and found the Autobots' individual frequencies. Optimus Prime's stood out the most, but he was forced to disconnect when his younglings arrived to give him a report. He transformed into his bipedal form and then swiveled around to see the bright little faces of Eject, Ramhorn, Rewind, and Steeljaw.

"'Ey guys, what's happening?" He greeted them, and opened his chest so that they could fold into their cassette-like forms and retreat in there if they wished.

Rewind started to babble over what he had found out; the locations of the nearest Decepticons, what was on the duty roster for later, what he had seen or not seen on the monitors and security scanners, and the latest gossip. "Did you know that Wheeljack likes the scent of the antiseptic wash medics use on injuries? He says it reminds him of Ratchet… Oh and did you know that Bluestreak talked to Smokescreen who spoke to Powerglide who heard from Inferno that he heard from Red Alert who saw Windcharger and Cliffjumper kissing through his security cameras?"

Blaster nodded indulgently as he snickered at the behavior of the other Autobots and gave him a pat on the head. "That's fascinating and all, Rewind, but I gotta say: do you need recharge? You're lookin' a little energy deprived."

The black, yellow, and white cassette seemed sheepish at that. "I was too excited about our upcoming travel to Earth."

"It'll be a home run!" Eject added. The blue sports loving cassette chirped and clapped a servo on his twin's shoulder as they gave each other smiles. The two were more closely in tune with each other's feelings, more so than their other siblings, but they still cared for all of their siblings. Speaking of siblings…

Ramhorn snorted. "Our _home _is on _Cybertron_, not Earth." The quadruped cassette had a wicked sharp spike protruding from his long nose, had short stocky legs and a small tail. He was colored a muddy red orange and he stamped on the floor. His form was so similar to a rhino that Blaster had to hold in a laugh.

"Cybertron is a wreck. Earth is our temporary home." Steeljaw purred out, and trotted towards Blaster's awaiting servos. The beastly feline was like a lion, a golden yellow in color and regal in stance and speech. He seated himself next to Blaster, and immediately, he got a nice scratch behind his ears from his creator. Purring, he continued: "we may not know much of it yet, but it shall be a place where we can rebuild… besides, do you not want to see our comrades?"

"Hmph. I do. I just wish I had a Decepticon to smash," Ramhorn grumbled. "I'm recharging." He transformed into a slim cassette-like object and went into Blaster's chest to take in a bit of energy from his creator as well as recharge.

Blaster looked at his chassis fondly, though a bit worriedly. Ramhorn had always been unusually aggressive, and it made Blaster uneasy on how he would sometimes lose control of his anger. Ramhorn had been onlined for the first time in an exceptionally dangerous time, and had nearly been killed in his first few orns of life. That had been one experience that Blaster could never forget, and Ramhorn still had the scars from it on his protoform.

Sighing, the red mech looked to his other younglings. Steeljaw was the oldest, while Eject and Rewind were the youngest. The two looked tired, and he ushered them inside with a smile. "C'mon guys. I still gotta contact Ultra Magnus and his crew to let him know that we're gonna be stationed on Earth. Well, once we get clearance t'land…" They needed to be closer before he could contact the Autobots without the use of a satellite... problem was, they'd have a heck of a time trying to land when they were in such a large ship. Oh well! They'd figure it out when they spoke to Prime.

Blaster went on to contact Ultra Magnus and his crew, and once he was finished, he eagerly walked to his berth. He was exhausted, and after sinking onto the berth, he settled into a restful recharge… Knowing that when he awoke, he would be several joors closer to a new orn.

* * *

**Angelic**- I was going to end this part with something dramatic, but then I just went, "nahh." Uh, yeah. This is only PART ONE of chapter five. I know this is shorter than my normal chapters, but damn, it's longer than most things people post on this website. Plus I will have a niece in a few hours, and I'm excited! Excited like I was for the start of the World Cup! I hope you've been watching, because it's been awesome so far~!

Anyway, Sam's being a bit of a dramatic twit because he's in pain, stressed out, and upset. He's angry because no one believes him, and he's been through a lot of events in the past few months, obviously. Don't worry, he's not going to be whining as much in part two. He'll get over it in the hopes that the Autobots "see the light" and eventually come to believe him… But of course, since it is Sam, he'll be really stubborn about the whole situation. Not to mention he and Leo have to go back to class… and the Decepticons aren't just sitting quietly. They'll find out that Sam's not dead… and things will pick up from there. I'll go back and edit the other chapters as well as this one for errors I might have missed: this chapter isn't beta'ed, so I need to.

Please take time to review. I'm not so sure I deserve them for making you all wait, but hopefully this makes up for it!

**PS**. The first ten reviewers are allowed to request a one-shot for me if they wish! :D It'll help me keep up my writing groove. Seriously. I'll write almost anything for you, limitations can be discussed later.


End file.
